Journey to the Center of Herself
by taggerung0254
Summary: The End is...HERE! The LAST chapter!
1. Rikku's bored!

I do not own FFX-2, though I wish I did!

(Takes place a few months after the perfect ending)

Rikku was bored. She thought Besaid was a wonderful place, especially since Yuna and Tidus had settled down there. Pristine beaches, beautiful vistas of the sea and sun, a small local population. It had it all, and Rikku couldn't stand it anymore. Her energetic self couldn't stay still for very long, and Besaid had little in the way of actual things to do. Sure there was the beach, and Blitzball and little Vidina to play with, not to mention her friends, but that was about it. She had already exhausted all the options for fun there.

So, Rikku had decided to leave. She didn't know where to yet, but finding out would be half the fun of the journey. Rikku stood on the beach, hands behind her head, thinking of where she wanted to go. It would have to be on foot, because Brother was still sulking about Tidus and Yuna being together and not answering anyone's calls from the comspheres. _Idiot!_ She thought,_ I wonder if Brother even realizes that Yunie is his cousin. He is such a sicko!_ _Now I have to go by foot because that buffoon is still sulking after three months! _Just after she thought this someone called out from behind her "RIKKU!"

Rikku turned around and ran up to her cousin Yuna. For once Tidus wasn't with her. Not that they were an obnoxious couple, but it made Rikku feel a little jealous of the happiness they shared. Once she reached Yuna, she gave her cousin a big bear hug.

"Hiya Yunie!"

"Oomph, hello Rikku."

Rikku let go of Yuna so that she could breathe properly and they both laughed for a minute and then began walking toward the ocean. "So Yunie, where's your hubby at today? Usually you two are attached at the hip." Yuna blushed at the comment.

"We are NOT attached at the hip. We just like to spend time together..."

"Riiiiight, and LeBlanc suddenly gets some fashion sense. I know what you two are up to on those little 'walks' of yours!" This time Yuna turned completely red and shoved her cousin.

"I...we just..." she stammered, then narrowed her eyes at Rikku, "Are you SPYING on us?!" She huffed indignantly. Rikku just giggled.

"NO! But you just made my case for me! Hehe!"

"Oh you!" They both laughed as they walked down the beach. "So, when are you leaving Rikku?"

"Huh? Oh, I dunno. Soon I guess. How'd you know I was going?"

"I could see that you were starting to get bored here. AND you have been unusually quiet lately. Tidus and I were starting to worry. You didn't even eat the sweet cakes Lulu made yesterday!"

"I can see how that's out of character for me." Rikku responded.

"Is there any particular reason you're leaving? We haven't made you feel left out, have we? That is the very last thing we wanted to do-"

"Relax Yunie. It's nothing anyone has done." Yuna looked relieved at that and smiled. "It's just that, Paine's off doing her own thing at Bevelle, and I just sit here like a bump on a shoopuff watching you and Tidus being perfectly happy together." Rikku frowned at that, putting her hands behind her head again. "I want to be happy too. I mean, I'm happy for you, Yunie, but I want to find MY perfect guy. I won't do that on Besaid."

Yuna frowned, not ever knowing that Rikku was so unhappy. "Why didn't you say something sooner?"

"Because I didn't want to disturb you. You've been through so much Yunie; you deserve to be happy now."

"But you went through it with me Rikku! You feel like a sister to me, not just a cousin. I want you to be happy too. Can I do anything to help you?"

"Nah, you just spend as much time with Tidus as you can.! Knowing that you're happy makes me happy!" They walked on in silence a moment, and then Rikku said "Do you really think of me as a sister?" A hopeful, innocent smile was on her face.

"Of course!"

"REALLY really?"

Yuna giggled and said "REALLY really!" She got another bear hug from an ecstatic Rikku. This time Yuna returned the hug. "So, do you know where you'll be going?"

"Nope. I was just going to wander around till I find somewhere that feels right."

"I see. Well, before you go, let's see if we can convince Lulu to make us some more sweet cakes!"

"Yeah! I want some for the road!"

"Rikku, you know that they wouldn't last two minutes in your pack before you eat them."

"Hey! That's not true at all!" Rikku responded with false indignation. "They wouldn't even get into my packs! And here I thought you knew me well!"

Their laughter resounded on the cliffs surrounding the beach. "I'm sure Lulu will make them if we offer to baby-sit little Vidina."

"Ok! Let's hurry! My mouth is watering from imagining the smell of them!"

With that Yuna and Rikku ran off to the village to coerce Lulu into baking for them, fully intending to make the most of the remaining time Rikku would spend on the island.


	2. Rikku gets sweet cakes!

**I don't own FFX-2, though I wish I did.**

As it turned out, Lulu had already made more sweet cakes. She knew that Rikku would want some, even though she had not eaten any earlier. One of Lulu's great secrets is that she is a wonderful cook, something that is not lost on the population of Besaid. She is delighted with the expressions on the faces of her diners. "Well, I'm glad that you decided to visit, but I have the feeling that you had an ulterior motive for coming."

"Aw, Lulu, you know that we just love you!" Rikku said.

"And my sweet cakes, it seems."

Rikku and Yuna giggled, knowing that it was true. "Lulu," Yuna said "you are the best cook on Besaid. We were going to offer to baby-sit for you in exchange for some more cakes!" Rikku just nodded in agreement, having a mouth full of sweet cake. There was no way that she would waste some by accidentally spitting it out to agree with Yuna verbally.

"I see. In that case, why not watch Vidina for me now, in exchange for dinner?"

The two cousins both said "YES!" and began their adventures in baby-sitting. Not that Vidina was much trouble, being only a few months old, but there was enough noise coming from the trio that people thought trouble was brewing anyway. Several curious heads popped in, just to make sure things were all right. All three were laughing and giggling and playing, Rikku being the loudest. Lulu watched them, smiling to herself. Personally she was amazed. Not by Yuna, because she had already known Yuna liked children. She was amazed at Rikku.

"I never would have thought you would be so good with children, Rikku. You will make a great mother."

"Me? A mom? NO WAY! I just like Vidina! He's soooo cute!"

"Don't be silly, Rikku. I've seen you playing with the other children on the island as well. They seem to instinctively trust you."

"Maybe it's because she's like a kid herself." Yuna said with a laugh. Upon hearing this, Rikku picked up Vidina in her arms and pretended to ignore Yuna.

"Do you hear that, Vidina? They're making fun of your Auntie Rikku! That is so mean! You wouldn't make fun of me, would you? No, you wouldn't, 'cause you love your Auntie Rikku, don't you? Yes you do!" As she said all this, Vidina looked up at her, listening to every word. This only reiterated Lulu's point, but Rikku didn't care. Or she didn't notice. Lulu just shook her head and returned to her cooking. Yuna laughed at Rikku's antics, and they commenced entertaining Vidina.

Near the time dinner was ready, Wakka and Tidus came into the tent, still damp from Blitzball practice. The atmosphere was a happy one, what with the girls and Vidina giggling and playing on the floor. Tidus walked over to Yuna and sat down beside her, and started playing with Vidina as well. Wakka stood in the doorway with his arms crossed and said "I gotta watch how much you play with Vidina, Rikku; else you'll make him loud, like you!"

"HEY! You better apologize; else you'll lose a first-class baby-sitter!"

"I was just kiddin', ya? You're doing great! I'm glad you guys help me and Lu."

"You'd better be, Tubby."

Wakka went over to the group on the floor and picked up his son, who squealed in delight. "So, what's for dinner Lu? Whatever it is, it smells good! We could smell it down at the beach. Ain't that right Tidus?"

"You betcha!" he said with a grin.

"How is it you know when dinner is ready, Wakka? You always show up just when it gets done." Lulu gently chided her husband.

"Can't help it Lu. Your the best cook on the island, ya? I'd cook, but my cooking's not as good as yours."

"So I've been told."

Rikku and Yuna shared a look and burst out laughing. Yuna fell over onto Tidus' shoulder and as her laughter died down, he put his arm around her. It was something that came naturally to them. It rekindled Rikku's earlier thoughts. _I want to find someone who'll be like that with me. _Tidus turned toward Rikku, and asked "So where are you off to, Rikku?"

Rikku sighed and lay down on her back, looking at the ceiling. "I thought about going to Bikanel, do some machina hunting. Or maybe I'll visit Khimari. I can't decide." She was frowning as she thought, an expression foreign to Rikku's face. It felt strange to her. She had always been the happy one, ever since childhood. She had lost her Mother when she was still young, and everyone had been so sad; Rikku hid her own pain and tried to make everyone else forget theirs. Even the fights between her brother and father were just a distraction from their worry. She had not intended to stay the ever-cheerful-Rikku. It just stuck with her, maybe as a way to keep things the same. Change was frightening sometimes, and Spira had been changing so much, Rikku had clung to her happy persona as an anchor. Not that she wan not a happy preson, but no one would ever believe that she had serious thoughts or feelings.

She decided at that moment, it was time to be herself, no just ever-cheerful-Rikku. It would be a great reason for her journey. "I think I'll go to Luca first. I haven't been there in a while. Besides, there is always a party to go to, or Blitzers to watch practicing." She said this with a impish grin and a significant look at a certain High Summoner. Yuna blushed slightly and looked away from Rikku, not rising to the bait. Tidus laughed, noticing Yuna's blush and hugged her closer.

"Have you been spying on me, Yuna? Hmmm?"

Yuna hit him gently on the shoulder. "I most certainly have not!"

By this time, the food was ready. Lulu decided to nominate Tidus to set the table since the girls had been baby-sitting. Rikku gloated over this turn of events. She hated house hold duties, and anything having to do with dishes was the worst. _Dishes are SOOOO evil! The only thing they're good for is eating off of. Glad I'm not doing them. snicker_

After the meal was eaten, (with many compliments for Lulu) Wakka announced that Yuna and Rikku would be doing the dishes. This news was not greeted with enthusiasm by Rikku.

"Why aren't _you _doing the dishes, huh? All I've seen you do is play with Vidina."

"Hey, a father and son need to bond, ya? And you don't really want Lu to do them, do you?"

Rikku mumbled something obscene under her breath in Al Bhed and stalked over to the sink Yuna was already occupying. Grabbing a towel she began to dry the dishes Yuna had washed. Wakka made a lot of noise while playing with his son, and when Rikku turned to glare at him, he just smiled and said "Thanks Rikku!"; which earned him a death glare and more muttered curses. Yuna elbowed her in the ribs 'on accident', to make her start drying again.

With a sigh of defeat, Rikku ceased complaining about the dishes. Wakka was making more noise playing with Vidina than was really necessary. When she turned around to look, Wakka asked "So you're really leaving Rikku?"

"Yup yup! It's just that time, know what I mean? Here today, there tomorrow, who knows where next week. But don't worry. I'll keep in touch. You are really going to miss me when you need an emergency baby-sitter because Yuna is off on a 'walk' with Tidus." Yuna blushed, and splashed some water at Rikku 'on accident' again.

"I'm sure that Yuna can spare some time from on of her 'walks' to help out." Lulu said with a too-straight face. Rikku burst out laughing, while Yuna turned beet red. One look at Yuna's face made her fall on the floor with mirth. Tidus was laughing too, but much to his credit he held most of it in to spare Yuna's feelings.

"Sorry Yunie!" she said in apology, while trying to catch her breath. "I think Lulu has developed a great sense of humor." Then in a whisper, "Either that or she's spying on you!"

"I hope not..." Yuna whispered back.

"Hey! What's so funny over there? Let us all in on the joke,ya?" Wakka said.

Tidus could not hold it in anymore and proceeded to roll about on the floor consumed by laughter. Lulu shook her head and told Wakka not to worry about it. "One of those 'girl' things, huh?" was all he said before reverting his attention back to Vidina. Thankfully he let the subject drop.

_Maybe I should leave tomorrow. It'll be a happy start, and no sad goodbyes._ Rikku thought to herself. Or she _thought_ she thought to herself.

"Well, it would be a happy start, but we will still miss you very much, Rikku." Lulu said from where she had joined Wakka on the sofa. "Especially Vidina. You are his favorite baby-sitter, next to Yuna."

At that moment, Wakka held Vidina in front of his face and began talking in a baby voice. "Auntie Rikku, you can't leave! Nobody else makes me laugh as loud as you do,ya? I'm going to cry when you leave. You don't want me to cry do you, Auntie Rikku?"

"Awwwww!" Rikku said as she scooped Vidina up into her arms. "Don't you worry! Auntie Rikku's going to visit all the time! Yes she is! We can't let Wakka have any peace and quiet, can we? No we can't. So don't you cry or I'm going to cry too!" Vidina gurgled with happiness while Rikku talked, looking for all the world like he understood her words. "And when I come back I'm going to tell you ALL about my adventures as loudly as I can, so we can annoy Daddy!"

The evening continued on like that until Vidina fell asleep and started drooling on Rikku's shoulder. As she handed him over to Lulu, she said softly, "You're one lucky guy, Vidina. I'd punch anyone else that drooled on me." With that everyone went to their respective tents. Rikku snickered to herself when she saw Yuna and Tidus going out for a 'walk' again.

_I'm going to miss everyone here. Oh well. I've gotta find me some time. Might as well be now._

**Please forgive any typos. My writing program decided to crash and like a dummy I forgot to save my work. :( boo-hoo, huh? Anywho, I was up late rewriting this, and I have to be up early in the morning, so I hope it is good!**

**Thank you to scatterkat and kinglby for the time it took to r&r. I truely appreciate it! Thank you bunches!**


	3. Rikku leaves!

I don't own FFX-2, though I wish I did!

Thank you bunches to the people who reviewed! I am glad you like my story!

Ok! Chapter 3! Here we go...

Chapter 3

The next morning was beautiful. A spectacular sunrise had graced the island of Besaid, coaxing the birds and people to rise earlier than usual. There was a refreshing breeze coming from the ocean that the seagulls were taking advantage of at the pier. The S.S. Liki was buzzing with activity, making ready to set sail. Rikku and the others were gathered at the beach, to wish Rikku good luck on her trip. Even little Vidina was there, pulling Wakka's head band over his eyes. Yuna was hugging Rikku tightly, already missing her cousin.

"Don't worry, Yunie. There's nothing out there that can take me down!"

"I know, but I'm going to worry about you no matter what you say." Yuna replied.

"I said I would keep in touch! And if I get in trouble, I'll just bring out Ghiki. That monkey can scare a Behemoth!" They both laughed at that, and parted. Tidus gave Rikku a hug as well, making sure to squeeze all the breath out of her. "Uh, I kinda...need to breath!" she said.

"I guess so. You take care now. I don't want to have to get your butt out of trouble!"

"Hey, hey, hey! I can take care of myself, thank you very much!" she said, with her hands on her hips. Tidus chuckled and shook his head in amusement. Rikku turned to Wakka and Lulu, and gathered Vidina into her arms. "Alright Vidina, you make sure to be as loud as you can for Daddy, huh?" He answered with a high squeal and giggle, as if he understood the order. She returned Vidina to his father and gave hugs to Lulu and Wakka.

"And I'm off! See you guys later!" Rikku walked down to the pier and boarded the S.S. Liki. Once she was on deck, it pulled anchor and began to move out of the harbor. She waved both arms in the air wildly at her friends until they were out of sight. She then moved to the prow of the ship, watching the waves break in front of the ship. A smile grew on her face, because she knew that she was on her way to finding herself. _This is going to be great! _she thought.

"Watch out Rikku!" she shouted at the waves, "Here I come to find you!"

**The next evening...**

Rikku hopped off the deck and onto one of the docks in Luca. People were rushing to and fro, trying to load or unload cargo onto the ships. There were families being reunited with joyous laughter, and heckling from the dock workers. It was loud and it was busy. Rikku loved it. She was a people person, always craving the company of others. It made her feel more alive to connect with them. A social butterfly, that is what she was. There was no better place to find things to do with other people than Luca.

After looking around for a moment at the bustle of the docks, she headed out towards the plaza, passing the Blitzball stadium. It was not Blitz season, so there was almost no activity at the stadium. _Maybe I'll make use of the gym equipment. And find some hot guys that want to show off for a lady! Hehehe! _First, she had to find an inn. While Rikku didn't mind sailing, she wanted to sleep in a bed that wasn't moving side to side. At least the Celsius was stable. _Let's see, where was the Sun Rose Inn? Oh, yeah! A block past the café. _

Rikku arrived at her destination, a wonderful little inn that almost no one really knew about. The fact that it was owned by an Al Bhed man and run by his Spiran wife had something to do with it. Elizza, the wife, was a small woman, with brown hair and eyes and possessing a beauty that rivaled that of women half her age. Rikku had found the inn on her first trip to Luca; she had been immediately drawn to the Sun Rose because it obviously had Al Bhed origins. The minute she first stepped into the inn, it felt like a home. Not her home, or the Al Bhed Home, but a home that belonged to someone, and would welcome anyone who entered.

Rikku felt welcome every time she went there. She now stood in the small lobby, drinking in the homey-feeling that radiated from the building. It still looked the same: worn but comfy. Bookcases lined the walls, even around the windows. (They had been specially built by Raas, Elizza's husband.) One could find a book on nearly any subject in this room, even some on Machina. Not that an Al Bhed house-hold was odd for having anything to do with Machina. Not many books about Machina survived because of Yevon's attitude about them. Bits of machinery sat around, some pretending to be book-ends, some assuming that they were statuary and some had been converted into lamps or foot stools. There was a multitude of very comfortable chairs and one sofa. All were situated to make the most of daylight and the placement of the lamps. A plush carpet lay on the floor, decorated in a traditional Al Bhed design. Plain curtains hung from the windows, casting a gentle shade over the bright sun light. Plants were living in nooks and crannies throughout the room. Stairs ran up the back wall, leading to the rooms on the second floor. Elizza and Raas lived on the third floor, while the dining room was through a door in the wall next to the stairs.

"How can I help you- oh! Rikku! Dear, you've been away too long. How are you?" Elizza exclaimed from behind the counter. She looked the same as ever, with the exception of a few more smile lines on her face. "Are you staying long this time?" she asked wistfully. Elizza had been lonely since her son had left to join the Crusaders two years ago. He had died in Operation Mi'Hein.

"I'll be here for a while, Elizza. You have a room for me, don't you?" she asked while scuffing the floor with her boot, pouting.

"For you, we always have a room! Come on, lets get you settled in. I was just about to put on some tea. Would you like some?" She said all this while helping Rikku carry her baggage up the stairs and into her room. It was the one she always stayed in. Second door on the right, with the sun emblazoned on the top half. The design was repeated on the back of the door, so that you always saw the sun no matter the weather.

"Sounds good to me! Let me get a shower first, though. I want to get the salt out of my hair." Rikku said, pulling her hair in front of her face and frowning at it.

"Use that conditioner I keep telling you about after you wash it. Just leave it in while we have tea. It will make it unbelievably soft." Elizza knew everything about beauty and fashion and hair things. Rikku never really bothered with it, but she indulged Elizza because it would get her more goodies from the kitchen.

"Alright, you go get yummy stuff ready, and I'll meet you in the kitchen."

Elizza nodded and smiled, then left the room. Rikku sighed, feeling more relaxed at that moment than she had been in a long time. _Alright, shower time! Let's get clean!_ The shower felt wonderful, and Rikku scrubbed her hair and body of salt. She sighed when she got out, and slathered the conditioner into her hair. It took a while, because her hair was quite long and tangled. When she was done, a towel was wrapped around her hair, and clothes were put on. Rikku then wandered downstairs to the kitchen, not in the least embarrass by having a towel on her head. The smell of tea and baked goodies lured her towords her goal. Elizza greeted her with a cup of tea and a plate of goodies. _This is gunna be good..._

**Ok, not much happened, but it will get better in the next chapter! Enter Gippal! _duh duh duhhh! _What will happen next? Will Rikku catch his attention, or will he strike out? Stay tuned to find out! **

**Thank you bunches to my reviewers! Like I said before, I write these late at night, so if something is blatantly wrong, let me know, please. And I am very happy because a coworker gave me a chocolate chip cookie the size of my face today! Isn't that great? munch, munch...yummy cookie... Want to share my cookie? NO! What am I saying?! I'll never share my cookie! Mwahahaha! **


	4. Enter the Man!

**Chapter 3: Enter the Men**

**I don't own FFX-2, though I wish I did! I would be filthy, stinking RICH!**

**Hey! Thanks for the reviews! This one is going to be _good_. Or at least I hope it will be good. It will be kind of long though. I can't seem to shorten it, and I want to bring Gippal into the act. Alrighty, here we go again...**

Having tea in the kitchen of the Sun Rose was always informative. Elizza seemed to know a lot about what was going on in Luca and with its residents. For example, the café owner's daughter was secretly dating the keeper of the Luca GoersThis needed to remain secret because the café owner didn't approve of Blitzball or the players. The two were in love, but her father stood in the way of any potential future together. So the keeper always dressed up as a masked Al Bhed whenever he went on a date with his girlfriend. (For some reason, the father considered an Al Bhed worthy of his daughter.) Where did the idea for this scheme come from? Elizza. She was the one every young couple went to for advise; not just about romance, but about general things too (Names were never mentioned in conversation, and there are several cafes now, so it was safe to give out some tidbits.) People knew this, and did not bother her to ask for gossip.

Elizza told Rikku what little she did because Rikku had no use for gossip. She did not know or care who was dating whom. She was there to have fun. And eat sticky-buns fresh from the oven. Elizza was privy to many secrets, and yet she only had the best intentions for giving advice. She wanted people to be happy and content. Thus the reason the Sun Rose was such a welcoming place. Especially the kitchen. It was always open to midnight snacks, so long as it was the pantry that was raided, not the refrigerator.

"So, have you spoken to that young man you told me about? The one from Home?" Elizza asked after the second cup of tea.

"Yea, but he didn't seem too interested. He just treated me like when we were little. The big oaf." Rikku said with a semi-angry huff at the end.

"I'm sure he will come around, dear."

"In a shoopuf's eye. He's as arrogant as ever." She replied as her head came to rest on her hands. "Besides, he only likes air-headed bimbos with big boobs."

Elizza chuckled. "He can't be all that bad if you are interested in him. You are a wonderful judge of character. Maybe he doesn't know how he feels about you yet. Boys do tend to mature slowly." She said with a smile.

**"**I wish you were right."

**"**It's not like you to be so pessimistic, Rikku."

**"**I know. But he never even notices that I'm a girl. All I am to him is someone to annoy. And I don't have big boobs." Rikku sighed. "I'm not much fun tonight, huh?"

**"**No one can be happy every second of the day, dear." Elizza said as she got up to get more sticky-buns. After setting the plate of treats next to Rikku she gave her a smile. "Raas will be home soon. Why don't you help me make dinner?"

"Yeah! I haven't cooked anything in a long time. Nothing like Al Bhed spices to rev up a meal!" Rikku gobbled up the remaining sticky-bun on her plate and hopped out of her seat. "When will Raas be back? I haven't seen him in ages."

"He'll be home in an hour or two. Let's clean up and get that towel off of your hair. It will leave a dent in it if you leave it too long."

"I keep forgetting that." Rikku mumbled as she removed towel. "Hey! That gunk really works! My hair's all soft!"

"Would you think less of me if I said 'I told you so?" Elizza asked over her shoulder.

Rikku giggled. "Nope."

Dinner was prepared with not a moment to spare. The minute it was ready, Raas came through the kitchen door and sat down heavily in one of the chairs. He perked up when he saw Rikku. "Rikku! How you been, girl?"

"Pretty good. You look like you've had a tough day, though."

"Right you are, girl. The boats from Bikanel haven't arrived, and the boss-man is pissed off about it." Raas said with a heavy sigh. Everything Raas did was heavy. He was not fat, but he was very muscular with a heavy build and small stature. It never ceased to irritate him that he had to look up at everyone, even his wife. "You should have seen him, Elizza. He was pacing the docks like a caged behemoth!"

"He wasn't rude to you, was he darling?" Elizza asked with concern.

"Nah. He's a good man. Knows better than that. I think he wasn't planning on staying in Luca for very long. Now he's stuck here for at least a week. Maybe two. Doesn't sit well with him I guess." He stopped and sniffed the air. "Mmmmm. Smells like Home! You do some cooking, Rikku?"

"Yup yup! I hope it tastes as good as it smells."

"If it tastes half as good as it smells, it'll be great."

With that, dinner was served and eaten with gusto. Raas and Rikku ate the same amount of food, which was amazing considering their difference in size. After dinner, Rikku was in such a good mood, she offered to do the dishes. The offer was politely declined, and she was sent off to bed with a small plate of her favorite cookies. Rikku was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow, completely forgetting about the delicious cookies on her night stand.

**The next morning...**

Rikku woke to the sun shining in through her window and onto her pillow, which consequently woke her up much too early for her liking. The sun would not go away, and Rikku was too lazy to close the curtains, so she got out of bed. _Oh! I still have cookies! _She thought as the morning stretching was completed. Grabbing a hand full of said cookies, Rikku went into the bathroom to turn on the shower. _The breakfast of champions! Nothing like cookies first thing in the morning. _ Once the cookies were a mere memory, she hopped in and out of the shower quickly. She wanted to get to the Blitz stadium and make use of the workout facilities. A real shower would wait until later.

Dressed in a modest tank top and loose, comfortable pants, Rikku made her way to the stadium. She hummed to herself and danced a few step every so often. As soon as she was in the gym facility, a wide smile crept onto her face. It was one thing to fight fiends all the time, but a good workout was another. She fought fiends all the time. It was great for keeping in shape, but did not do much for enjoyment unless one was sadistic enough to enjoy killing.

It was empty, and she was delighted. _No one to bother me for a while. Good! _She headed off to a corner set aside for stretching to limber up. After a full two days of doing nothing physically challenging, she would need to stretch. Then it was off to the race track for Rikku. She ran at a swift but steady pace, increasing her speed every two laps. By the time she was finished running, several people had trickled in. Most were men, but a few women were there too. Rikku jogged toward another corner, this one containing various pieces of sparing equipment. The oversized punching bag hanging from the ceiling caught her attention and she walked over to it.

Some of the men had migrated over to Rikku's corner, and grinned and chortled to each other about the pretty, but lightly built young woman who was going to try out the heavy weight bag.

"Careful there, sweet-cakes! You might break a nail on that thing!" One of them called to her. Rikku just smiled sweetly at him, and launched herself at the punching bag. She attacked it as though it were a fiend, dodging and darting in and around the swinging object with amazing speed. Every male that was watching dropped their jaws. 'How can a little thing like that treat that bag like a toy?' they wonder aloud and to themselves. Some shook their heads and got started training, but some stayed to watch Rikku.

She knew they were watching, and pulled out some of her more difficult moves. Not that she was showing off or anything. One has to practice to stay sharp. Soon, though, she forgot all about her audience. Her heart was pounding, and sweat covered her entire body. Rikku didn't slow down at all. Until a certain voice called out from the crowd.

"Well, if it isn't Cid's girl!" Rikku barely spared a glance at the speaker, though her heart began thumping against her ribs. It was Gippal. She didn't have to look at him to know that he was standing there with a cocky grin on his face. _And looking hot as hell and knowing it too._ She thought with a bit of distaste. That surprised her, considering she had spent many years trying to get his attention. At first it was just for friendship, but it had never gone any farther than that. They were great friends, but that was the problem. They were not kids anymore. Rikku did not want to be treated like a kid; and that was how Gippal treated her, like she was still ten years old.

"What do you want, Gippal?" She asked between kicks.

"Gee, someone got off the wrong side of the bed! What's eating you?"

"Nothing, punch now go away."

"Noooo, I think I'll stay a bit. You're putting on quite a show, Cid's girl. Since when have you been an exhibitionist?" He asked with that cocky grin again. This time Rikku was able to see it.

"It's not my fault, kick, kick they like to punch watch!"

This got some laughs from the guys watching her, and resulted in a puzzled frown from Gippal. Rikku never talked that way to him. It was always teases and banter, not 'go-away-you-bother-me'. She didn't think he knew what to make of it. This made her smile. _Rikku, one, Gippal, zilch!_

"You sure are fun to watch, sweet-cakes! You gunna come here often?" Said a man from the group. It was the one who said she would break a nail. Rikku decided not to answer. She tried ignoring Gippal, but it was not easy. He knew she was a very competent fighter. They had trained together years ago. He was watching her move, like he was judging her moves.

"What are you punch looking at, Gippal? Or did you wake up punch, spin, backhand on the wrong side kick, duck of an _empty_ bed, and only have me to kick, kick, punch look at?" That brought out a chorus of 'ouch' from the group, which now included some women.

She saw Gippal move out of the corner of her eye, and found him holding the punching bag, stopping its momentum. He had an odd look on his face, half angry, half disbelief; but that cocky grin was back a moment later. "You sure are feisty today. And what would _you_ know about waking up in an occupied bed?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" She said irritably. "Now let go of the bag!"

"No."

"Suit yourself!" Rikku flew at the bag Gippal was holding with a high kick that just happened to connect with both the bag and Gippal's head. Grazed his head, actually. He stared at her for a moment in shock, and then launched himself at Rikku for an attack. She had been expecting this, and dodged neatly out of the way. It was the way they had always spared together. "I'm not in the mood for games, Gippal!"

"Yeah, well you started it. All I did was come to say hello." He made a quick lunge for her wrist and caught it, pulling her arm behind her back and her back against his chest. "You're the one in the bad mood." He said into her ear. It sent a chill down her spine, and she was angry at herself for it. _I'm mad at him, for crying out loud!_ So she stamped down hard on the insole of Gippal's foot, causing his grip to loosen. Rikku took advantage of this and escaped his grasp, but not before getting another hit on him in the stomach. It had not been a light hit, either.

"I told you, I'm not in the mood for games! Why don't you go find one of your floozies to play with?" She snapped.

"Because none of them move like you, Cid's girl." He retorted.

"Well, I'm not moving with or for you, so beat it!" Anger was foreign to Rikku, but when it came, it came big time. "I'm sure you'll have more fun wrestling with them in bed than getting beaten up by me."

"You really think you can beat me?" he said, a dangerous glint in his eye.

"Yeah, but it would be an empty win. Nothing to gain from it."

"Oh really. Fine. You win and I'll buy you dinner. I win; you have to dance for me."

"I told you, I'm not-" she was cut off by a swift punch to the ribs and a headlock. _That's it. Now I'm pissed!_ Rikku grabbed the arm around her neck and with a mighty heave, threw Gippal to the ground in front of her. A second later she aimed a kick at his ribs, but missed as he rolled to the right.

"That's more like it!" The two fought on, each never gaining more than a moment of superiority. Gippal would get her into a hold, and Rikku always got out of it. The fight was attracting attention, and a running commentary was going from the audience. Some were even taking bets on who would win.

"Fifty gil they kiss and make up at the end." Said one of the women. The bet was taken by her companion. Meanwhile, Gippal was starting to get an advantage. He had been fresh into the fight while Rikku was already tired out. She knew he was trying to get a specific hold on her, one she had never been able to break. Try as she might, he kept getting closer and closer to achieving his goal. He made a rolling dive over to her, trying to get her to fall, but all he got a hold of was her shirt. It began pulling her down until she wriggled out of it.

A barrage of whistles from the crowd made her look away from Gippal in surprise. It was all the advantage he needed. One moment she was standing there, the next she was face down on the mat, Gippal's knees pressing into the backs of her own, pinning them to the floor. Her right arm was twisted behind her painfully and her left shoulder was under his left hand. All his weight was on her. She couldn't wiggle her way out of this one. She was panting, and covered in sweat.

"What's the matter, can't shakey-shake your way out of this one?" Gippal said from a safe distance behind her head. A head butt would have been a great way to get out of the hold, but he knew that too. Suddenly, she got an idea. It was devious. It was something she would never have done in the past. It might just work. One of the men was counting down the hold time.

"One! Two, Thre-"

Rikku growled and lifted herself off of the floor. It was only a few inches, but it was all she needed. Gippal's left hand had fallen to the floor to support him, leaving her room to maneuver. She gave another growl and twisted her entire body over to the right, breaking Gippal's hold and causing him to fall on top of her. His face was stunned, and just stared at her. Rikku broke out a thousand watt smile, then reached up and pulled his head with her left arm and locked him in a very intense kiss.

The Rikku he knew would never have done such a thing. She would rather loose than resort to a tactic such as this. Desperate times call for desperate measures. After a moment he actually responded to the kiss, deepening it of his own accord. It was his downfall. Rikku used the last of her strength to flip Gippal onto his back and pounce on top of him. He stared at her again, not believing what just happened, when she kissed him again. She had him in a hold and he knew it; but for some reason or another he didn't try to break it. Instead his hands slid around her bare waist, pressing her closer to him.

Several men emitted a soft moan, wishing they were Gippal. The count began again.

"One, two, three, four," the man said, "four-and-one-third, four-and -one-half, four-and-three-quarters!" He was trying to give Gippal a way out. Too bad he did not take it. "Five!"

Rikku slowly pulled away, wanting to linger, but not quite daring to. She still had a thing for him, after all. Looking into his one good eye, she said in a low voice: "I think you owe me dinner."

"I think I do too." was Gippal's awed response.

**Ok, what did you think? It's longer than I wanted, but who can stem the tide of genius? jk. Anywho, let me know if you like it or not. (I hope you like it. I mean, I worked hard all night on this.) And in a sad turn of events, I ran out of cookies! This is so sad! Oh well. Byes!**


	5. Dresses are Evil!

**I think my chapters are messed up. I'll fix that soon. Maybe. If I think of it. And I told you the last chapter would be good, didn't I? You should always listen to me. My boss hasn't figured that out yet. Hehe. I just watched Renaissance Man, with Danny DiVito. Great movie. Ok, back to the story. **

**Oh, and many thanks to all my reviewers! I'm so glad you like story. J**

**Chapter 4**

Rikku stood up and offered Gippal a hand. He stared at it for a moment, and then took it, nearly pulling Rikku back down. She glared at him, and then turned away when that cocky grin reappeared on his face. The crowd burst into applause when she turned around to face them. Several people were collecting gil from their companions. Rikku smiled at that, happy that someone had believed she would win. Even if she had cheated a little.

"I told you I could beat you, Gippal." She said as he came up beside her.

"Only because you cheated, Cid's girl."

"I have a name. Why don't you try using it?" she asked.

"You never asked me to."

Rikku was exasperated. "All this time, you've been calling me 'Cid's girl' because I never asked you to use my real one?"

"Yep."

"Uhgg!" she replied while hanging her head and arms down loosely. "Why do you have to be so impossible?"

"Because it aggravates you. You're funny when you're mad."

Rikku wanted to smack that grin off his face, but thought better of it when she remembered her prize. So she smiled brilliantly at Gippal, and clasped her hands behind her back, leaning forward slightly. "So, where are you taking me for dinner? Hmmm?" Gippal opened his mouth but she cut him off before he said anything. "And don't take me anywhere cheap. I want to eat some place nice." She added a warning look, just for emphasis.

"You're ruining all my fun today, you know that?" Rikku's smile widened slightly. "Alright, alright. Vinito's, then."

"Ohhhh, that new place with all the aquariums?" she asked excitedly.

"Yes and its formal attire only." he said with a significant look at Rikku. "Which means a _dress._ Nothing you would normally wear for any reason." Rikku wrinkled her nose at this, because she hated dresses. It was not possible to move correctly in dresses. "And if you show up in something, uh, casual, I'm not footing the bill." he added.

"Humph." Rikku pouted, sticking her lower lip out a bit. "FINE! I'll wear a stupid dress. And you better be serious about Vinito's." _He only picked that place cause he knows I HATE dresses. Scum bag. Shoopuf vomit. Flan entrails. Snot-rocketor! _The insults she was thinking got worse as Gippal laughed at her reaction.

"I'm serious. They have great food there. Atmosphere's kinda stuffy though." Rikku was still pouting about wearing a dress. "Come on. Let's get out of here. Unless you enjoy a bunch of muscle heads staring at you." They were indeed staring, but Rikku was more concerned with the whereabouts of her shirt.

"Where'd you throw my shirt, Gippal?" she said as she began scanning the floor.

"Do you have any idea how bad that sounds?" he said.

"Can you get your mind out of the gutter for more than a minute?"

"Touché. It's over here." Gippal went and picked up the shirt, then threw it at Rikku's head. She caught it, and was in the process of putting it on when she let out a curse in Al Bhed.

"You jerk! You ripped my shirt!"

"Hey, you're the one that wouldn't fall. It's not like I meant to!"

"You owe me a new shirt! I just bought this thing."

"You don't seem to be in the habit of wearing modest clothes, so what's the problem?"

Rikku flung the shirt at Gippal's face, where it landed with a wet 'smack'. Gippal chuckled as she stomped away angrily. He jogged up beside her before she got too far. "You forgot this." Rikku rolled her eyes and shoved him. "I don't want to keep your sweaty shirt!"

"Then why'd you pull it off?" she said as she whipped around and poked him in the chest rather hard.

"I seem to remember _you_ slipping out of it. You want to get naked with me that badly?

"You perv! Why would I want to get naked with _you_? I'm not some dumb bimbo who wants to get you in bed!"

Gippal placed a hand over his heart and started to swoon. "You've wounded me, Cid's girl! Am I that bad to look at?" Rikku snorted and started walking out the door. Gippal followed behind her, chuckling at her reaction again. When she did not slow down, or even look at him, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her to a stop. "Come on, I'm kidding. I'll buy you a new shirt AND dinner. That's a great deal, considering how much you put away."

Rikku frowned, and then said "Fine. And would you please start calling me Rikku?"

"Sure thing, babe!"

"My name's not 'babe' either!" she said hotly. Rikku started walking again, but this time at a moderate pace. Gippal fell in step beside her. "Why do you aggravate me on purpose?"

"I told you, you're funny when you're mad. And it's easy to do."

She did not dignify the remark with an answer. Instead she sidled up to Gippal and took his arm, laying her head on his shoulder. "So you're taking me to a nice restaurant. Does that mean I'm interrupting your plans for tonight with anyone?" she asked too sweetly.

"Hey! Keep your sweat to yourself! Ugh, Rikku germs." he said, trying to disengage his arm form Rikku. She laughed and clung on, rubbing her sweaty forehead on his shoulder.

"You didn't seem to mind my sweat earlier..."

This time Gippal did not answer. He stopped trying to get his arm back too. Rikku was like a leach when she wanted to be. He turned to look at her. "Only because you were distracting me with cheap tactics."

"I still won, didn't I?" she said with an impish grin. "You're just a sore loser!"

"Sore is right. Why'd you hit me so hard?" he said, rubbing his stomach where she had punched him.

"I thought you were a big strong man, Gippal! A punch from little me can't hurt that bad! Hehe." He gave her a very droll look, and she let go of his arm, reluctantly, with another giggle. "You weren't so gentle with me, either. What are people going think when I show up for dinner covered with bruises?"

"I didn't hit you anywhere that can't be covered up with a dress." He narrowed his eyes at Rikku's sudden smile. "A _nice_ dress. Man you talk about my mind being in the gutter."

"Aww! There goes my dress for tonight!" she said sarcastically. "So what are you going to wear?"

"A suit." he answered as if it had been a simple question.

"Obviously. What color?"

"I don't know! Does it matter?"

"Duh! Do you want us to clash in such a classy place?"

"Whatever. Grey. There, are you happy now?" he said with impatience. "You never used to care about that stuff."

"Well, times are changing, and so am I. Is that so bad?"

"No. You sure have changed though. In a nice way." He added the last because Rikku gave him the 'eyebrow-raised-you-said-what' look. "Anyway, you do own a dress, right? Or do I have to buy that too?"

Rikku stuck her tongue out at him. "Of course! I am a girl, you know. Or do you?"

He chuckled again, earning another eye roll. "I've got things to do, so I'll see you at the restaurant. Seven sharp or I'm eating without you."

"As if I'd be late for a meal."

"True. See you later, Cid's girl!" he said as he walked down another street two blocks from the one her inn was on.

"My name is RIKKU you big oaf! I asked you nicely too!" She shouted at his back. Gippal just turned and waved, pretending that he had not heard her. Rikku sighed, and then walked toward the Sun Rose. She was just inside the door when something struck her. Running into the kitchen she found Elizza taking a pie out of the oven.

"OhmanIhaveadatetonightandIhavenothingtowear!" she said in a rush, clutching Elizza'a sleeve.

"Now, now, dear." She said as she put the pie on a rack to cool. "Slow down. I could not understand a word you just said."

"I have a date tonight at a really nice restaurant and I've got nothing to wear! Where's a good place to buy a dress?!" Rikku spoke with rising panic.

"Calm down, dear. You don't need to buy a dress. I was your size when I was your age. I have some lovely dresses up in the attic. They are considered vintage now, so you ought to like them. Why don't we go take a look while the pie cools?"

"Really? You'd do that for me? Aren't you afraid they might get messed up?"

"No, dear. If you knew how many times Raas spilled something on them on our dates, you wouldn't be worried." Elizza said with a soft laugh at the memories of those dates. "Anyway, I'd rather they be used than sitting in storage. You're welcome to them anytime you like."

"Cool! Let's go look!" Rikku said, rubbing her hands together in anticipation. "Do you have any shoes?"

"Oh my yes. They would fit you too, I dare say."

"Yay!" Rikku danced along behind Elizza all the way into the attic, even up the stairs. Dancing up stairs is no easy feat. Elizza led her to a large trunk, sitting next to a full length mirror. She opened the trunk and Rikku let out an awed "Cool.".

The two of them spent the better part of an hour looking through Elizza's clothing and shoes. Various dresses, skirts and blouses were hanging from the rafters and lying on top of boxes. Shoes littered the floor. An outfit was finally decided on, and Rikku held the chosen dress against herself, looking in the mirror. She had matching shoes and even a hand bag. Elizza insisted that she take a hand bag. "You never know when you might need something. A lady should always be prepared for emergencies." was her explanation. Rikku didn't mind at all, though she privately thought she would loose the hand bag before the end of the night, though not on purpose.

Rikku took her new treasures down to her room, Elizza chatting about how Rikku should do her hair and what kink of make-up she would use. Rikku did not wear make-up. It felt like paint to her. "Don't fret, dear. I wouldn't put a lot on you. You're so pretty naturally, there's no need for much. Why don't you take a nap? You look tired."

"I am tired, but I'd rather eat some pie before my nap." she said hopefully.

"I'll bring up a slice for you, so you can get a shower."

Elizza made good on her word, because when Rikku stepped out of the bathroom, the pie was sitting on her night stand, waiting for her. "Ohhh, yummy!" she said as she leapt over to her pie, savoring every morsel of it. She even licked the plate clean. _Ahh. Good pie. Not as good as cookies, but yummy none the less. I wonder if Gippal likes pie. Probably not. He probably eats flans of something. Yucky! _Her thoughts amused her until she fell asleep.

**A few hours later...**

Someone was shaking Rikku's shoulder, trying to wake her up. _Don't they know I'm asleep?_ The someone kept shaking her, insisting she wake up. When Rikku finally opened her eyes to glare at the person shaking her, Elizza came into her vision. "Wha?" she asked sleepily.

"You need to wake up, so you can get ready for tonight. Else you'll be late!"

"Oh no! What time is it?"

"Relax, we have plenty of time. I let you sleep as long as I could. We need to get you ready, so wake yourself up dear." Elizza turned around, rummaging about inside a large bag on the vanity. Rikku yawned and stretched, wincing at her new collection of bruises. _Stupid Gippal, bruising me. Humph. _

"Ok, ok, I'm up. What's in the bag, Elizza?" Rikku said as she walked over to the older woman.

"Just some make-up. Sit down, now. Let's see how we'll fix your hair..."

Rikku did as she was told, handing Elizza pins and brushes and styling products. She sat still as best she could, but could not help squirming. Elizza was understanding and finished quickly. Next came the dreaded make-up. Elizza did not use much, just some eye liner and shadow, and lipstick. Rikku barely recognized herself when they were done. She looked very different. Good different. The dress would complete the change. Rikku smiled at her reflection and hugged Elizza.

"Thank you. I would never have been able to do this. He won't even recognize me!"

"You're welcome, dear. Let's get you into your dress. You have plenty of time to get to the restaurant. Who _is_ your date tonight, by the way?"

"The guy from Home I told you about."

"Oh really? I told you he would come to his senses."

Rikku giggled. "Actually, he lost a bet, so he has to buy me dinner. He could have taken me anywhere, but he said Vinito's."

"Well, I think that is a good sign. Not many men would choose Vinito's." Elizza gave her a smile. "You'll see, next thing you know, he'll sweep you off your feet."

"Is that what happened with you and Raas?"

"Oh yes! Literally. I twisted my ankle on a cobblestone, and Raas carried me all the way home in his arms. I knew then and there he was the one for me." Elizza sighed happily. "Maybe it will happen to you. Except for twisting your ankle."

"Yeah. Maybe. I don't know. I'm nervous. Do I look nervous? I feel nervous."

"You look wonderful. Now let's see." Elizza studied her handiwork, and decided that every thing looked splendid, but something was missing. "Hmmm. I know! You need some jewelry. Nothing fancy. Just not orange feathers." Rikku removed her earrings, laying them down on a tray. "Now what did I wear with that dress?"

"I've got something, actually." Rikku said, going to the dresser and pulling out a palm-sized box. She took them over to Elizza to see if they met her approval. She opened the box carefully, and showed Elizza the contents. A matching set of earrings and a necklace lay on cushions of velvet.

"Those are perfect! I thought you didn't like things like this. Where did you get them?"

Rikku hesitated for a moment, and then answered. "They were my mother's. Pop got them for her when I was born."

"That's so sweet of him to do! Are they pearls?"

"Nope. Moonstone."

Elizza stared at Rikku with disbelief. Moonstones were the rarest gems in Spira. They usually signified marriage or some other significant life event, like having a child. The most women hoped for was a small chip for a ring or pendant. No one had received a set like this in generations. The only place they could be mined was deep under Bikanel. The fiends that were found near moonstone veins were ferocious and numerous. Not many people dared to go there for them.

"Did Cid send someone to get them?"

"Nope again. He got them himself. Nearly died doing it though." Rikku frowned at that thought. If her father had died then, she would have wound up an orphan. She carefully removed the earrings and put them on, while Elizza fastened the necklace. _She's right. They do look perfect. I'm glad I held on to these. _

Rikku was now deemed ready and the two of them descended the stairs together, Elizza reminding Rikku to hold onto her hand bag. Raas had just walked in and stared at them. Rikku did not look like herself, as was evident by Raas' expression.

"Darling, doesn't Rikku look lovely?"

"I'll say. You look real nice, girl. Come on and give us a twirl."

Rikku happily complied and held her arms out when she finished. "What do you think? Will I turn some heads, or what?"

"Yep. I hope whoever your date is can protect you form the hoards of men you'll attract." was Raas' answer.

"Don't worry about that. He's almost as good a fighter as I am! I think we can fend them off."

"He should be the one fending, girl, not you. You should just sit and watch while he does the dirty work."

Rikku giggled. "Ok. That sounds like fun to watch. Well, I'm off! See you later tonight!" she said as she hugged Elizza and Raas and went out the door to meet her next adventure: dinner with Gippal.

**OK! So Rikku has a date, Gippal got beaten up by his date and Rikku is wearing a, dare I say it, DRESS! It's the end of the world! Tune in for the next chapter: Dining with the Enemy! Dun dun dunnnnn. **

**BTW, I got a fabulous hair cut today, and I just want to thank my hair dresser. She makes my hare behave like no one else. (My hair is extremely unruly, and the fact that she can make it look great is incredible. She deserves a cookie! And so do all the people who review my story!**

**tagg gives all reviewes cookies!**


	6. Dining with the Enemy:part I

**Alright seamonkeys! I am not happy with the way the other half of this chapter is going. I dont' know why, but I think I hate it. So, here is the first half, which I think is really good, cause you get to 'see' Rikku's dress. And Gippal's reaction to it. hehe. I'll post the other half when I can fix it. Just not going the way I wanted it to. Please ignore any errors. I have had 3 hours of sleep in 2 days. But since a certain someone needs updates to live, I pushed it to get this for you. Say "Thank you, skatterkat!" **

**I don't own FFX-2, but I would be rolling in dough if I did!**

**Please note that Rikku was wearing a sports bra during previous chapters. I don't want people to think I had Rikku running around half naked. :)**

**Thank you to all my lovely reviewers! hugs I love getting happy reviews, but if something is blatently wrong, let me know! I will fix it! Or try to! Why am I using so many exclamation points! Must be lack of sleep! ok. story time...**

Chapter 5:Dining with the Enemy

Evenings in Luca were pleasant, weather-wise at least. A breeze came from the ocean, meandering around the streets and buildings, investigating everything it came in contact with. This included the young Al Bhed lady walking down the avenues of the city. It was just strong enough to ruffle her hair and dress. Rikku laughed at the breeeze, saying "Don't you go ruining Elizza's hard work! I'm going to a nice restaurant, and they won't let me in if I look frumpled." She continued walking, happily taking in the scenery. Luca had grown substantially in the last few months, adding new streets and plazas. The original one was still called 'the Plaza'. The plaza she was heading for was only a few months old, and very up-scale. Expensive shops lined the streets, boasting of all the fabulous goods within. _I think a shopping trip is in order! Maybe I can make Gippal carry all my bags. Hehe._

Vinito's was past all the shops, at the end of the avenue. It was surrounded by a beautiful walled garden. The outer walls were low, and covered in night-blooming jasmine, her favorite. Her perfume, when she wore it, was night-blooming jasmine. It was subtle and sensuous, not overpowering like some perfumes the women were wearing. She could smell them several yards away. The high walls encircled the building, except for the entrance. Plain ivy covered the tops of the walls, and grew down the two columns on either side of the ornate doors.

Rikku slowed as she approached the entrance. It was guarded by a polite looking man who stood at attention and opened or closed the doors for the diners. _Man, what if Gippal was lying, trying to embarrass me? He's probably hiding in the bushes to watch my humiliation or something. I'll kill him if that's the case. Or seriously maim him. It depends on how hard he laughs. _She had stopped a few steps in front of the doors. The door man smiled and opened the doors for her as though she was an important personage. Rikku took a deep breath, returned the door man's smile and walked inside.

The inside was lavishly but tastefully decorated. Aquariums large enough to swim in lined the walls. Beautiful multi-colored fish swam about rock formations and water plants, ignoring their onlookers. They did not care that they had been taken from their homes, only that they had water to live in and food to eat. A serenity hung about them, one that encased observers in peace and calm. It quieted her earlier fears.

She walked up to another man behind a podium, who was studying a notebook with a pen in his hand. He looked up and blinked at her in surprise. _I guess not many Al Bhed come here. _she thought.

"I'm terribly sorry, miss. I hope you were not waiting long. I did not hear you approach. How may I help you?" he said politely.

"Well, um," she said smartly "I'm meeting someone here, for dinner, at seven."

"Seven, seven...ah yes! Miss Rikku. The gentleman has not yet arrived, would you like to wait in the lounge or the garden perhaps? Both are quite comfortable, though the garden will become a bit cool later on."

Rikku was a little surprised at the way she was being addressed. 'Miss Rikku' was not something people included when refering to her. The man had been sincere in his apology earlier, too. "I'd like to see the garden, if I could." she said, remembering all the manners various tutors had tried to drill in her head.

"Of course." The podium-man turned and curtly called to yet another man, who quickly made his way over to them. "Escort the lady to the gardens." The escort-man nodded and bowed to Rikku, murmuring for her to please follow him. Rikku followed, and the man led her out into a courtyard on the side of the restaurant. He extened an arm, indicating that she could go where she liked.

"Thank you." she said softly. The escort-man bowed again, and left. Rikku wandered about, looking at all the plants and statues. Some of the statues were beyond tawdry in her opinion. Her eyes finally settled on an ornamental pond with a cushioned bench beside it. She made her way over to it, grateful that no one was occupying it. She sat down, and remembering that she was supposed to be a 'lady' changed her position to one a bit more prim than her usual one. The pond was full of large, orange fish. They swam about with out a care, occasionally investigating the surface for some reason known only themselves. Rikku smiled at them. _I wish I could be a fish for a day. Just swim and eat. And not wear dresses._ She thought the last part with disgust. _I really hate dresses. Stupid Gippal, making me wear one. _She sighed and let the calm feeling sink over herself again. She stayed that way until a hand lightly touched her shoulder, breaking her out of her reverie. It was escort-man. He murmured something about the gentleman having arrived. Rikku turned to look in the direction of the restaurant, and saw Gippal walking towards her.

He was walking, looking around for her. Gippal was not one to admire fish or plants overmuch, so he had to be looking for her. Once he had arrived at her pond, Gippal looked over her at first, then did a double take. Surprise covered his face, not believing what he was seeing. It took all of her will power not to laugh. Instead she stood up, and smiled slightly at him. She knew what he saw.

Not only was she wearing a dress, but she was wearing _heals_. The most evil (in Rikku's opinion) invention in women's wardrobes. Her dress was rose colored silk, covered in delicate lace a shade darker than the silk. It was a very modest outfit, at first glance. What looked to be sleeves were only loose fabric, falling in such a way as to look like sleeves until she moved. The shoulders of the dress were set wide apart (themselves being only a few inches wide) and the neck line ended just above the infamous 'cleavage point', leaving most of her upper chest bare. The back was seemingly one piece, but fell away in two loose pieces that were separated by a slit down her spine, going from the base of her neck down to the lower back before rejoining the dress. The top of the slit was joined together by a rose-shaped brooch with delicate gold chains ending with tiny crystals. The dress extended down to just below the knees, making her calves look longer than they really were. The heels helped in that department, too.

Her hair was actually down, not up in its usual ponytail and braids. The braids were still there, but only three on each side of her head, all of them clasped together behind her head with a hair clip that looked exactly like the brooch on her dress. The rest of her hair fell in waves behind her shoulders and half way down her back. (Rikku had objected to this because it covered up the pretty brooch on the back of the dress, but Elizza had overruled her, saying she needed to keep some things a surprise. Her date should find the details on his own.) All in all, she looked nothing like the normal Rikku.

Gippal just stared at her, jaw slightly slack, unbelieving what his eye was showing him. Rikku giggled and walked up in front of him. He was dressed in a classic but relaxed cashmere-gray suit, including a tie that surprisingly complimented her dress. She had to look up at his face, even in those despicable heels. _When did Gippal get so tall? Or did I shrink? Why am I thinking about how tall he is? _Most of the female eyes were on him, even those with dates or husbands.

Rikku put her hand under his lower jaw and closed his mouth for him.

"So, I take it you like my dress." she said.

"Uh, yeah..." he replied. Then he shook his head slightly and looked at her again. Rikku twirled slowly around, giving him the full effect of her outfit. He still did not say anything so Rikku did.

"Is that all you have to say?" she pouted.

"You, look...nice." was all he said.

"_Nice_? That's all you can say? You just slipped on a suit and slicked your hair. This took over two hours. And all you can say is 'nice'?" Rikku was getting mad again. Her good mood was spoiled because all she got was 'nice'.

Gippal apparently saw the change in her face and pulled himself together.

"No, no don't get mad. I'm just ...shocked. I've never seen you dressed up before." Now a smile, a real smile appeared on his face, instead of the usual grin. "You look great."

"That's better!" she said, her smile reappearing. She took his arm in hers and turned her smile on Gippal. "Although I was going for 'Wow you look fabulous! Incredible! Wow!', coming from you I guess 'great' is a compliment." Gippal laughed, as she expected.

"Alright. Wow! You look fabulous! Incredible! Wow!" he said as his other arm came to wrap around her, his hand on the small of her back, which happened to bare. That put the shocked look on his face again, but only for an instant. The smile came back as he shook his head. "Come on, Cid's girl. Let's eat. I know you're starving."

Rikku let the 'Cid's girl' pass for now, happy that he had been admiring her. Not that she would forget it, after asking him to call her 'Rikku', but it could it pass.

"Yes! Let's go!" Rikku said, putting the hand that was not occupied on Gippals chest playfully. She noted just how much muscle lay under the suit fabric. It made her shiver and smile warmly up at him.

He led her out of the garden, not trying to remove her from his arm, but actually pulling her closer to him. Gippal looked around him and scowled at something. Rikku looked in the direction he was looking, and saw several males staring at the sky or the grass. She frowned, and turned to Gippal.

"What are you scowling at, Gippal?"

"Hmm? Nothing. Thought I saw something."

"If you say so." Rikku said, not quite believing him. Then she giggled as she lay her head on his shoulder, mirroring the events earlier that morning. "Too bad I'm not all sweaty, like last time." Gippal chuckled.

"Yeah, only this time you're getting make-up all over my favorite suit."

"I am not! I'm not even wearing much, you big meanie." Rikku retorted. She began to slide her arm out of Gippal's when he grabbed her hand and pulled her back.

"This big meanie is buying you an expensive dinner, so be nice."

Rikku rolled her eyes half heartedly. "Ok, you win. I'll be good. So long as I don't wait long for my dinner."

**Ok. That was good. So, next half will be the actual dinner. And, gasp the fight scene! dun dun dunnnnn! Pls, r&r! thank you bunches! **


	7. Dining with the Enemy:part II

**Ok seamonkeys! I am happy with this version of the rest of chapter 5. The other one just sucked. Plain and simple. I think I do better work with no sleep. Who'd have thunk it. I happen to like sleeping. It's one of my favorite hobbies. **

**Thank you bunches to all my reviewers! Repeat reviewers are so wonderful to me. -Tagg gives cookies to all reviewers!- **

**Back to the story. It's not too mushy, but there is some suggestive language, though nothing 'good' happens. So don't get your hopes up for fluffy-stuff. Anywho, read on, young ones, read on... **

By this time, they had reached their table. It was near a window overlooking the ocean and a small expanse of the garden. There were no aquariums nearby, but the view was soothing in itself. A small, two person table with a spotlessly clean white tablecloth and napkins, it was secluded and very private. The chairs were well made and comfortable. Gippal, pretending to be a gentleman, pulled out her chair for her. Once seated, dinner was ordered, and an appetizer was ordered as an after thought. A hungry Rikku was a Grumpy Rikku. Gippal knew her well enough to realize that. He stared at her while she was nibbling on bread sticks, chin in the palm of his hand.

"When did you learn not to pig out on everything in front of you? It's almost like you have table manners or something." he said, the cocky grin back on his face.

"You're one to talk of table manners, with your elbow on the table while there's food on it." she responded.

"I come here for the food, not the table manners. Normally, I just order something and have them deliver it. They'll do that, if you pay them enough."

Rikku froze the piece of bread stick that was on its way to her mouth. "You're telling me that I got all dressed up when you could have had it delivered."

"Yes."

"Then why are we here, if you don't even like the place?"

"You said you wanted to eat some place nice. This place is nice. It's your fault for being greedy."

Rikku hung her head in her hands. "Do you have any idea how hard it was to get my hair to behave?" she said. "I would have settled for a sit-down restaurant that wasn't fast food. _You_ picked a place you don't even like going to, knowing that I hate wearing dresses and fixing my hair."

"Yep."

"Why?" she asked hotly.

"Because I wanted to see you in a dress." he said with a smirk.

Rikku glared at Gippal while turning the approximate color of a tomato. She was glaring at him for two reasons: reason one, she was angry; reason two, she was heartily embarrassed. The embarrassment was winning, much to Gippal's amusement.

Then he made a mistake. He laughed. Out loud. At her.

The anger made a huge come back and body slammed the embarrassment to the floor. Rikku was furious. "You wanted to see me in a dress?!" she hissed. "This was all some game, wasn't it? Who do you have recording this fiasco of yours? I should have known better than to think I could have a nice dinner with you of all people. So stupid of me. Now you've had your fun at my expense, so enjoy your dinner alone!" She slapped her napkin onto the table and grabbed her hand bag (which she had not lost yet) so she could leave. Just as her chair was moving back, Gippal spoke.

"Rikku."

Rikku stopped, and looked at him. She unbent enough not to leave then and there at his expression. He looked seriously penitent, but that did nothing to alleviate her anger.

"Don't leave. Please." he said as he extended his hand, palm up. "This isn't a game and no one is recording us. Unless you want someone to. They do that here."

"Get back to the apology, Gippal." she said coldly. Gippal winced at her tone of voice.

"Alright. I didn't mean to upset you like that. I just wanted to take you somewhere nice, like you wanted. And see you in a dress. Which you look very attractive in, by the way."

Rikku visibly thawed at the compliment. "I like this train of thought. Keep going." she said with a not-quite-heart-warming smile. She was still angry, after all.

"How's this? Know what I was scowling at in the garden? That group of men who wouldn't stop staring at you. It made me jealous." he said, with pink tinged ears.

"Jealous?" Rikku almost did not believe him. _Jealous over ME? No way! _She was really quite pleased with his words. _No one gets jealous over me. I wonder what brought this on. _she thought to herself. Or thought she thought to herself, again.

"Come on Rikku. You know I've always had a thing for you. Why are you so surprised?" he said quietly, not looking at her.

"I really need to stop doing that." she said to herself. "Ok, I'll forget all about you laughing at me under one condition." A real smile graced her face, and all of it was directed at Gippal. He looked up at her, smiling back.

"I'll bite. What's the condition?"

"You have to take me shopping."

"Shopping?"

"Shopping. Carrying the bags, judging outfits on me, buying me something you want me to wear. Deal?" she said, extending her own hand toward Gippal. He took it, but didn't shake it. He just held her hand, stroking her palm absent mindedly.

"You'll wear something I buy for you? Anything?" he asked, a smirk on his face again.

"Within reason, you dirty-minded man." Gippal chuckled.

"Ok, deal. You really are ruining all my fun today, though. Here I thought I would get to see you in something from a centerfold."

"Like I would look good in one of those anyway." she said with a snort.

"You would."

"Nah. My boobs aren't big enough. Centerfolds are always ridiculously large. I keep wondering how they can walk or move with out falling over because they're so top heavy."

Gippal laughed heartily, earning annoyed looks from a table further down the wall. He ignored them. Rikku was laughing with him, picturing herself in that kind of lingerie and laughing at the resulting image.

"So do I, for some of them anyway." he replied. Then he gave her a searching look asking "And how do you know what centerfolds look like, Cid's girl?" He took a drink when he finished talking.

Rikku just smiled innocently at him, saying "The same way I know just how easy it is to fake an orgasm."

Gippal choked on his water, spilling it on the table and himself. He cursed under his breath, drying his suit with his napkin. Before he could remark on Rikku's last comment, the food arrived. Steak and shrimp for Rikku, steak and lobster for Gippal. The aromas coming from the plates overpowered any further conversation. Rikku's eyes widened at her dinner, and she rubbed her hands together expectantly. Gippal shook his head, thinking she would lose her manners, but found that Rikku was eating delicate bites of steak. She even cut her meat properly.

Rikku watched him eating, noting that he did possess manners. They ate in companionable silence, Gippal finishing first. Rikku had one shrimp left, but stared in disbelief as a fork speared it and removed the last of her dinner from her plate. The fork belonged to Gippal, who was holding it just out of reach.

"You never answered my question." he said, looking at the shrimp as though he were thinking about eating it.

"Hey! That's mine!" she said, reaching out for the fork. Gippal pulled it further away, teasingly out of reach.

"Answer the question, and you'll get your little shrimp back."

"I happen to have an extensive collection of adult entertainment. Now give it."

Gippal's jaw dropped again. Rikku snapped her fingers and held her hand out. Shaking his head, the shrimp was returned to Rikku, who promptly ate it. She smiled at him again, relishing in his shock. _Rikku, two; Gippal, still zilch. _"How about dessert?"

"How can you think of dessert when you just ate more food than most women eat in a week?"

"Cause there's always room for dessert." So dessert was ordered, and the dinner plates taken away. Gippal kept giving her 'looks' when he thought she wasn't looking.

"How can you fake an orgasm? It's not like you have any control over it."

"Sure you can!"

"Not all of it. There's muscle contractions and moaning and stuff. You can't fake all of it."

"It's easier than you think. Muscle contractions being one of the easiest parts." she said. "I'd show you, but I don't think you want me to make such a scene." Rikku smiled sweetly at him, loving that she had the upper hand.

"You sure have changed, Rikku. You would have blanched and run away form a conversation like this before."

"That was then. This is now."

"Obviously." was his reply. "So why are you here in Luca? I thought you'd be with your cousin."

Rikku rolled her eyes. "Yunie's busy with her boyfriend. They are so great together, it almost makes you sick. Almost." Rikku smiled then. "She's so happy, Gippal. You should see them." She couldn't help but hear the envy in her voice. Thankfully, he did not hear it, or ignored it.

"Not if it'll make me sick."

Dessert arrived, and Rikku licked her lips. A piece of Chocolate Truffle Cake was beautifully set on a small plate with powdered sugar dusted on top and raspberries on the side. Chocolate sauce had been dribbled on the cake and plate. Rikku used all her will power and offered Gippal some of it. He took a fork full, chewing it slowly. Rikku ate the rest. She almost couldn't finish it, it was so rich. An expression of bliss fell over her face, making her look like a child that just ate a whole box of cookies.

"Didn't you like it, Gippal?" she asked, contemplating whether or not she should lick the plate. She decided against it. It was a nice restaurant, after all.

"It's alright. I'm not big on sweet stuff like that."

"So you don't like me?" Rikku asked pathetically, pouting at him. Gippal reached across the table and lifted her head a little with one finger.

"I like you just fine. You're not all that sweet." he replied wickedly.

"Aww! That's just so _sweet_ of you to say! I can die happy now."

It was Gippal's turn to roll his eye. "Are you finished? I'm about to tear this tie into pieces and feed it to a coelur. Rikku laughed at him.

"I guess. Let's get out of here before I throw my shoes out the window. I hate heels."

With that they left Vinito's behind them. Gippal had ripped his tie apart the minute they left the restaurant. Rikku giggled, wishing she could take off her shoes. _Oh well. I think I can make it._ They walked down the avenues and streets, making their way back to the older section of Luca.

The air had become considerably colder than before. Rikku shivered as a breeze went right through her thin dress. _I should have brought a jacket or something. This dress is NOT made for warmth. Pootie! _She started when something warm wrapped itself around her shoulders. It was Gippal's suit coat. Rikku snuggled into it gratefully. It smelled like him too.

"Thanks. Aren't you going to be cold?" she asked.

"Cold doesn't bother me much. You're wearing less than me anyway."

"Hey! It's not revealing or anything. It's silk, too." she said with a pout.

Gippal stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. She turned back to him, wondering what had made him stop. He pulled Rikku up close to him. She was looking up at him, a curious look on her face, when he kissed her.

It wasn't like in the gym. This kiss was gentle, his lips barely brushing against hers. It sent a shiver down her spine. She closed her eyes, and returned the kiss. Gippal wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her up against his body. Rikku found that her hands had come to rest on his chest. She could feel the warmth of his body next to hers, giving her another shiver that had nothing to do with the cold.

When they parted, Rikku looked into his good eye, then laid her head on his chest. "Gippal, I," she said, not wanting to ruin the mood, but needing to say something. "I'm going to be one of your girls, Gippal."

"Rikku, you are not, nor will you ever be, one of my 'girls'." He said into her hair, tightening his arms around her. "And since we're on the subject, there haven't been as many as you think. Not nearly as many. People just like to exaggerate rumors." For some reason, this reassured her. She smiled to herself, and just stood there in at state of bliss that out striped the one induced by the Chocolate Truffle Cake. (That is hard to beat, by the way)

Rikku and Gippal stood there in the middle of the street, holding each other, for she did not know how long. A wind came around the corner and blew across Rikku's bare legs, making her shudder.

"Come on. Let's get you some place warm before you turn into a Rikku-cicle." Rikku giggled and agreed, walking with his arm around her waist back to the Sun Rose.

**Soooo...did you like it? And before you ask, Chocolate Truffle Cake is one of the most decadent desserts out there. It practically melts in your mouth. -drooling- It is my favorite chocolate dessert. Even though I can't eat much chocolate. it gives me migrains. -sniffles- **

**Tagg MUST sleep now, before she falls alseep on her keyboard and wakes up with keyboard-face. So please r&r! Thank you bunches!**


	8. A Guy, a Girl, and a piece of Pie

**Ok, sea monkeys! I have discovered the secret of true happiness: COOKIES! Especially shortbread, but peanut butter cookies are a close second! (I had some cookies today, can you tell?) And something bad happened. I went to shake my bottle of apple juice, and the cap wasn't on tight, so juice went flying EVERYWHERE! Including on me. What a waste. Oh well.**

**So, the dinner is over, but the night isn't. Let's see what happens next in Chapter 6: A Guy, A Girl, and one piece of Pie.**

**Thank you bunches to all my reviewers! You people are the best! **

**(And just for the record, I make an awesome Chocolate Truffle Cake. It is one of my specialties.)**

**I do not own FFX-2, but if I did, I would have my very own massuse.**

Chapter 6

Rikku led the way to the Sun Rose. Gippal had kept his arm around her waist, and she was happy about it. She walked slowly, not wanting him to let go and also because her feet were starting to hurt. The heels were killing her feet. _Poor things, they've been so abused! _She thought. Rikku did not mind the ache in her feet. She was on cloud-nine, what with having had a wonderful meal and an even better kiss at the end of it. She was smiling, hugging the memory of it to herself. Her expression was probably silly, but again, she did not care.

They walked up the steps of the Sun Rose, Rikku digging in her hand bag for her keys. Gippal was looking at the door, which had, surprisingly, a sun-rose carved on it. Seeing as that flower only grew on Bikanel, it caught his attention.

"Who owns this place?" He asked, still looking at the door.

"Raas owns the place, but Elizza runs it. Where are those damn keys? This thing is not that big, so where did they go?" she mumbled the last bit to herself.

"You have keys to an inn?"

"Well, I did have them. They love me here. I'm there favorite guest." Rikku kept digging and then gave a cry of triumph. "Ah-ha! There you are, you little booger! Hiding from me. Humph." She unlocked the door and opened it, motioning Gippal to come inside. She shut and locked the door behind them. Gippal chuckled.

"You locking me in, Rikku?" he asked.

"What? No."

"Pity. It could have been fun." he said with a grin.

Rikku popped him gently up-side the head. "There are valuable things in here. Raas and Elizza don't want to risk losing any of them." She led him in through the lobby, which he found interesting, but followed Rikku into the kitchen, finding her more interesting than the machina. He was pleasantly surprised at the kitchen. It was huge, even for an inn. Copper pots and pans hung from racks on the ceiling, and large expanses of counter-space lined the walls. Herbs hung from little racks and a refrigerator big enough to walk into were the only thing besides the oven that interrupted the counter. A built in desk sat in the opposite corner from the entrance.

It looked just like a kitchen from Home. The herbs had the right scent, and even the cook ware was of Al Bhed make. Fresh fruits sat in a bowl, inviting one to eat. A table and chairs was in the area next to the desk, and an island with a grill residing inside it stood in the center of the area near the oven.

"It's just like Home..."

"I know. Isn't it great? I always stay here when I'm in Luca."

"Why haven't I ever heard of it before? Is it new?"

"Nope. It's been here for years. No one knew about it cause it was owned by an Al Bhed. You know what the attitude was toward us then. The Blitz team stays here sometimes. Not too often though."

Rikku had plopped down onto one of the chairs at the table and removed her shoes. "Oh that feels so much better! Damn heels..." Rikku gave a mock glare at Gippal. "My feet hurt because of you, you know."

"How's that MY fault? I didn't step on your toes." he said, spreading his hands wide.

"You made me dress up with these shoes. They are not comfy in the least little bit."

Gippal sat down next to her, and took one of the heels in his hands. "If they're so uncomfortable, why do you women wear them?"

Rikku rolled her eyes at him. "Men like women to wear them because it changes the posture. The breasts get pushed out and so does the butt. Women wear them to get all the attention they can get."

"So, you wore them to get my attention, then." he said with that cocky grin back on his face.

"_No_ I wore them because flats look awful with this dress. I didn't wear them to amuse you. Sorry." Rikku smiled at him. "But I'm glad I did get your attention."

"You've always had my attention, Rikku. I just never told you because I'm a big fat coward." Gippal put her shoe back on the floor and stood up. He walked over to a machina that was on the counter.

"You're not a coward." Gippal started and turned at her voice. She had snuck up behind him, not intending to startle him, but enjoying it anyway. "You're one of bravest people I know." She was standing next to him, hands clasped behind her back, looking up at him from a much steeper angle than before. Without the heels she barely reached his collar bone. Gippal gave her one of his rare, genuine smiles and kissed her. Rikku felt like a sun had burst into existence inside her. She had put his coat on the back of her chair, so when she reached up and put her arms around Gippal's neck, the sleeves of her dress slid away leaving her arms bare.

Rikku placed her head against his chest when the kiss ended, smiling to herself again. Gippal said something that she did not catch. "Hmm?" she said.

"I said, honey-lips, what does that machina on the counter do?" he said, causing her to blush. She would have hit anyone else that called her that, but she felt no desire to hit Gippal.

"Oh. It plays music. Raas found it and a bunch of spheres in a sealed chest at the market here. It's really neat. Watch."

Rikku reluctantly pulled away from his embrace and went to the machina and opened the lid to it. Inside were a depression that a small sphere would rest in and a few buttons. Rikku opened a cabinet just above it and looked inside. She stood on tip toes, trying to reach a rectangular box. Gippal was suddenly behind her, reaching up and pulling the box down for her. She could feel the heat of his body next to hers. Rikku turned around, clasped his face lightly and brushed his lips with hers.

The box, when opened, contained many spheres, all of them small enough to fit in the palm of her hand. She selected one and placed it in the machina. After pressing a few buttons, it began to hum and then music drifted out into the kitchen. The music playing was for dancing to, judging form the beat.

"I don't want to wake Raas and Elizza, so I can't play it loudly. Isn't it neato?" she asked looking at him. Gippal pulled her away from the counter and into the clear area of the kitchen.

"I never got to dance with you, at the restaurant. Shall we?"

Rikku giggled. "Sure!" With that, Gippal led her expertly into a turn. "I learned to dance to this, you know."

"Really. They taught you?" Gippal nodded his head upwards, indicating Raas and Elizza.

"Yep. Elizza taught me most of it. Raas just helped with the whole 'man leading' thing. Took me a long time to get used to it."

"Are you becoming a real girl, Rikku? Letting a man take the lead and wearing dresses?" he asked with a laugh so that she would know he was joking.

"I've always been a girl." she responded as he twirled her around. "It's not my fault you never noticed until now."

"Oh, I noticed, Cid's girl. I noticed. Or didn't you ever think it was odd that I liked sparing with you so much? Like I said before, no one moves like you." Rikku laughed out loud and found herself being lowered into a dip for the big finish.

"You'd better not drop me, Gippal." she said looking into his good eye.

"And what'll happen if I do?"

"I'll...I'll never wear a dress again!" She watched him smile and pull her up smoothly, which resulted in another kiss, this one deeper and longer than previously.

"We can't have that, now can we? I like you in dresses." he said with a smirk.

Rikku raised an eyebrow at that. "And why, pray tell, do you like me in dresses? More feminine?"

Gippal smiled wickedly and said "That too. But dresses mean easy access."

Rikku let out an exasperated cry and tried to hit him on the head again, but he dodged and got behind her, hands on her hips. She turned around and frowned at him, saying "Have I told you how big an ass you can be?"

"Not tonight, no. But I recall you calling me shoopuf vomit once upon a time."

She laughed in spite of herself. Gippal had always been able to do that. "I guess it's a good thing I don't wear them very often, then." Gippal frowned at her comment.

"But I like you in a dress. You look so incredible in them."

"Aww, poor Gippal! You'll just have to take me places so that I have to wear them, won't you?" Rikku smiled sweetly at him. He shook his head, smiling.

"You're going to cost me a fortune, you know that?"

"But I'm worth it!" she said, clasping her hands behind his head and pulling him down to kiss her again. She could feel him smiling against her lips. It made her smile back. When they parted, Rikku went to the refrigerator and looked inside for something to drink besides water. Meanwhile the music sphere began playing an upbeat song with a woman singing. Rikku was bobbing her head in time to the music, singing along quietly. It was in Al Bhed, surprisingly. Gippal listened, liking the song and also Rikku singing along with it.

Rikku was still scrounging around in the refrigerator looking for her favorite drink, root beer. Real beer was not all that bad to her, but she much preferred root beer. It was sweet and spicy at the same time. When she found her target, she said to Gippal "You thirsty?"

"So long as it's not juice."

"Ok, um, how 'bout root beer?"

"How did I know that's what you were going to say?"

"Cause it's been my favorite since, like, forever. You want some or not?"

"Yep. I like the stuff too. I like real beer better though." Rikku poked her head out and wrinkled her nose at him. Just when she was about to emerge from the refrigerator, something inside caught her eye. It was a plate, with a piece of paper with her name on it. Removing the paper, Rikku saw a slice of pie waiting for her.

"Ooooooo. Pie."

"Did you just say 'Pie'" he asked disbelievingly.

"Yup yup!" she said, closing the door and coming over to the table with the drinks and the pie. Gippal was already sitting, so Rikku just sat on his lap instead of a chair, just for kicks. She heard him inhale sharply, and then relax with a hand on her side. "You want some pie?" she asked generously. Elizza's pie was not to be taken lightly.

"You just ate a huge and expensive meal, how can you even contemplate eating pie?"

"Because its _pie_. I love pie. And there's only one slice left. So you want some or not?"

"Well, yeah, but where do you put all the food you eat, in a hallow leg?"

Rikku smiled and ate a forkful of pie, relishing the taste. She offered him the fork, which he took, and had a piece. From his expression, she knew that another Elizza's-cooking- addict was made. He took another, making Rikku say "Hey!" but he held it out for her to eat. This brought the smile back to her face, but it left when he pulled it away slightly. He laughed and let her eat it after a death-glare. The pie was eaten in this manner, until only miniscule crumbs were left, with a little of the filling. Rikku, feeling that there was nothing wrong with enjoying every last piece, licked the plate. Gippal shook his head.

"I wish that was me." he said, enviously. Rikku looked at him without expression for a moment, set the plate down and took his head in her hands. She smiled seductively, then turned his head to the right and licked the entire side of his face. "Arrgh! Rikku slobber!" Rikku burst out laughing and would have fallen to the floor if Gippal had not held on to her. Tears streamed down her face as she watched him wipe his face with the back of his hand. He glared at her, causing more convulsions of laughter. She clung onto his neck, trying to apologize, but not having sufficient oxygen to do so.

He was still holding her, so he was not truly angry, but the smile on his face told her pay back would come, whether she liked it or not. Rikku, having caught her breath, leaned against him, and Gippal pulled her closer to him. She was still wiping tears from her eyes. Every time she looked at his face, she started laughing again. Finally, she stopped, and could look him in the eye without laughing.

"Sorry. I just couldn't pass it up."

"I know. But just for that, you have no say in what I buy you when we go shopping. And you have to wear it, too. No matter what it is."

"We'll see about that. I am NOT walking around in public wearing lingerie, thank you very much, so get that out of your head right now."

"Who said it would be in public?"

This time it was Rikku's jaw that dropped. He closed it for her, smiling. _Ok. Rikku_, two,_ Gippal, one. I liked being in the lead. Pootie! _"Ok, FINE. I'll wear whatever it is, but don't think you'll be getting lucky." she said, crossing her arms over her chest. Gippal just smirked at her.

"We'll see about that, in the future. But I didn't say anything about getting lucky. You brought that up all by yourself."

"Ohhhh, you meanie!" she said, hitting his chest lightly.

"And you say _my_ mind is in the gutter." Rikku blushed scarlet, and he pulled her close to him again. "I have no intention of messing things up with you, Rikku. So don't worry about that. For a little while." That cock grin reappeared, making Rikku blush again and turn her head away when he tried to kiss her. "Aw, come on! I was kidding." She relented and kissed him, feeling herself melt against him.

"You be nice to me, Gippal. Or I won't wear your outfit."

"Whatever you say, honey-lips." He said it to irritate her and she knew it, but it had the opposite effect.

"At least you say my name now. But how many pet names are you going to make up?"

"As many as I can, the more embarrassing the better." he said evilly.

"That goes both ways, mister." Rikku poked his chest with a finger. "Just you wait 'til I say something that embarrasses _you._"

"I can't wait to see you try."

The happy, newly-coupled couple stayed up late talking and laughing quietly in the kitchen. When the clock in the lobby tolled mid-night, Gippal sighed and said he had better leave before he stays the night. Rikku giggled and got up from his lap, even though his hands tried to keep her there a bit longer.

"So," she said playing with a button on his shirt, "When do I get to see you again?"

"How about lunch tomorrow? My day's full of dull work-like stuff, so I'd like it ever so much if you'd come and take me away from some paper shuffling for a while." He smiled a real smile at her, earning one from Rikku.

"Sounds good. But do I have to dress up again?" she said with a pout. Gippal pulled her into another warm kiss, erasing the pout from her lips.

"Not unless you want to. It would be great if you did though. No one I'm here with from the Machine Faction will believe it. It'll be classic."

"Hmmm...we'll see."

**Ok! There it is. I like the pie scene, because, well, I love any kind of dessert. Pie is right up there with cookies and CTC. Hehe. So, what did you guys think of it? Let me know, please! And yes, I did get some sleep, Kingleby. Thank you bunches for letting me sleep! And with that, I must get up at 5:30 and it is, what...1 AM? So. Bedtime! Byes!**

**Pls r&r!Thanks.**


	9. Never Wear White when it Rains

**Ok sea monkeys! For some strange reason, sleeping makes me more tired than I was when I fell asleep. Go figure. Oh! Something scary happened! I was cleaning my bed-room, when I looked at my closet door and there was this big, HUGE _SPIDER! _I hate spiders. shudders So I got out 'Arachni-death' (my golf putter used specifically for killing spiders) and killed it, resulting in a small, ok, large dent in the door. All for a good cause. **

**This is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. So, even if no one you love has it, hug your moms and aunts and sisters, because you never know. My aunt had breast cancer, and it was scary. She was 700 miles away, and I couldn't go see her. She is better now, but it was one of the worst feelings in the world, knowing she was so ill. So hug them and love them! **

**On that cheerful note, let's get back to the story. Not much funny stuff, but lots of fluff! (FINALLY!) So, let me know if you likes!**

**Thank you bunches to all my reviewers! tagg hands out cookies and chocolate milk J**

**Chapter 7: Never Wear White when it Rains!**

**I don't own FFX-2, but if I did, I would buy a Mini Cooper!**

Chapter 7: Never Wear White When it Rains

Rikku had walked with Gippal to the door, finding out where he would be the next day and with whom. Rikku knew most of the people he would be with, so their lunch date would be made all the more fun by the slack-jawed faces of her acquaintances. It really would be a classic moment.

"Think you can rig a sphere recorder to capture their expressions?" she asked with a grin.

"Possibly. You want me to?"

"Yes!" Rikku rubbed her hands together with glee. "It'll give us a laugh now and later."

"Okay. You promise you're going to steal me away from my work?" he asked pathetically.

"Promise. It's a date!"

Gippal smiled and pulled her into a kiss, which Rikku completely surrendered to. He had that effect on her. She watched him walk away into the night, then shut and locked the door. She leaned against it, sighing. After cleaning up the kitchen, she grabbed her shoes and almost walked out before she remembered the hand bag. Elizza would not like finding it on the table in the morning. _Stupid hand bag. At least I didn't lose it. _

Rikku trudged tiredly up the stairs, her feet protesting every movement. When she reached her room, the shoes were cast away onto the floor and the hand bag made its home on the little table by the door. She walked to her bed, and fell onto it face first with a soft squeal, kicking her feet in the air. She hugged her pillow, needing something to share her happiness with. _I wonder if Yunie's up? Well, if she is up, she won't like being 'interrupted'. Hehe. Ok, first things first. I'm getting this goop out of my hair and this make up off, like now. _Thought became action, and Rikku retired to bed, despite her damp hair. Her poor feet were thankful for not having to support her any longer. Sleep over came her quickly, finding her sprawled out on her bed.

Rikku did not know that Elizza crept into her room, wanting to see how the dinner had gone. She saw the dress, carefully laid over the vanity chair and the hand bag on the table. She smiled, and pulled a thick blanket over the sleeping Rikku. She left as quietly as she came, leaving Rikku slumbering happily.

**The morning...**

Rikku woke to the smell of breakfast. She blinked several times and rubbed her eyes clear. She debated about returning to dream-land, or eating. Both seemed to be good ideas. The rumbling of her stomach decided that food was of more importance than her head on a pillow. Rikku pulled a fuzzy robe around her, and followed her nose to the breakfast waiting in the kitchen.

She entered the kitchen, sleepy eyed but awake. A plate heaped with food was presented to her by Elizza. "Ohhh, yummy!" she said, and then smiled at Elizza. "You didn't have to make this much for little me." Rikku giggled.

"Don't be silly, dear. You need plenty of nourishment to tell me about last night." Elizza said, taking a plate of her own and walking to the table, Rikku in tow. After a few bites to silence her irritable stomach, Rikku related the events of her date. Elizza was as happy for Rikku as Rikku was happy for herself. All kinds of questions were asked, like whether he noticed the cut of the dress or the moonstones, or if he liked her hair or if he managed to conduct himself as a gentleman.

"He was as much of a gentleman as possible for him to be, Elizza. It's not like he's a cave-man or anything, but polite conversation isn't his strong suit." Rikku said, remembering Gippal's comments about dresses and lingerie. She giggled and put her head on the table, pounding it lightly with her hands. "I had so much fun! And he even got mad at some guys checking me out."

"That's wonderful! I told you he would come around, didn't I dear? I've always thought you to be an excellent judge of character." Elizza said, sipping her morning tea. Rikku preferred coffee, black with lots of sugar. She was finished with breakfast in record time, and was now savoring her extra-large mug of coffee. It had 'MINE! NO TOUCHIE!' written on it, signifying it as Rikku's own mug.

Raas, who was a late riser, came down to join them in the kitchen. He gave a sleepy kiss to his wife before sitting down. He drank tea, like Elizza, but in large portions, not delicate cups as she used. Raas had broken one too many of the good tea cups for Elizza to mind him using a mug. Once rejuvenated by food and tea, Rikku went through the interrogation about last night once again. She did not mind, because it had been such a good night.

Raas left for work, and Elizza and Rikku were left with the dishes. Rikku wrinkled her nose at them, and then helped Elizza clean and put them away. During her stint of dish drying, Rikku asked "Can I wear that sun-dress? The white one?"

"Of course, dear. I told you that you are welcome to them whenever you like."

"Cool, thanks."

"Are you going out with that young man again, tonight? That's not something you would wear in the evening."

"Nope. Lunch. I've got to save him from doing actual work for a while." she said with a giggle.

"That's such a nice thing to do. Make sure you put your hair half up with that dress. It will look so sweet."

"Will do! Hey, can you show me how to use that evil make-up stuff? I don't want to drag you into it every time I go out."

"Certainly. Let's finish these dishes and we'll get started."

The crash course in make-up lasted an hour. Rikku was completely baffled by all of the different kinds. The application was complicated and one had to be careful not to smudge what had already been applied. "You mean people wear this stuff every day? What's the last step? Spray sealant?" she asked incredulously.

By the time afternoon rolled around, Rikku had a basic grasp of make-up application, but that did not mean she would be using it much. She even put on her own eyeliner, without Elizza hovering over her. She did a good job, but was frightened at how easily it came to her. _I am NOT turning into one of those girls that paint their faces. What am I going to do next, buy five pairs of black heels that all look the same? _Rikku shuddered at the thought of voluntarily buying the vile shoes.

Rikku was finally in her outfit, and headed out the door without a hand bag and wearing white leather sandals. When she was half way to the inn Gippal was staying at and working from, the wind picked up a little, bringing the scent of rain. Rikku frowned at the wind, and looked up to the sky. Most of it was clear blue, but dark clouds lined the far western horizon. She stomped her foot, angry that the weather would turn bad just when she did not want it to. With a sigh, she continued on at a faster pace. She did not want the rain to ruin her lunch with Gippal.

She arrived at the inn, which was large compared to the Sun Rose. It was nice, but no where near as comfortable as her inn. The desk clerk looked up at her entrance and inquired if he could help her with anything. Mr. Helpful directed her to the second set of double doors on the left as the room the Al Bhed were using. She thanked the man and walked up to the doors. She listened for a minute, hearing dull reports and paper shuffling. _He wasn't kidding about the paper shuffling._ After a moment, she opened the doors and walked in.

A large table dominated the room, with small side tables holding steaming pots of coffee or cool drinks and finger foods. Gippal sat with his back turned to the door, head in one hand while writing with the other. The other Al Bhed occupying the table were similarly occupied. Some looked up at her entrance and started in surprise at her appearance. Talk and paper shuffling ceased and they all looked up from the boring dribble they called reports to stare at her. Rikku smiled and waved, knowing many of them did not recognize her as 'Rikku'.

Gippal looked up at the sudden silence and turned around to see what was distracting his workers. He smiled at Rikku, shaking his head when she gave him an innocent smile in return. She raised an eyebrow at him, silently asking if he was recording this. An almost imperceptible nod was her answer and she giggled.

"What brings you here all dressed up, Cid's girl?" he asked, causing her to mock-scowl at him. Gippal grinned at her, knowing full well how much the nick name bothered her. _Some things never change. _

"I came to save you from the hideous thing called work, but I'm not sure I want to anymore." she said saucily, crossing her arms in front of her chest. Gippal got up from his seat and fell to his knees in front of Rikku.

"Please! Please save me form all the monotony! I can't take it anymore. Shall I kiss your feet to earn your forgiveness?" Rikku laughed out loud at his antics and nodded.

"That's not necessary. You'll just have to pay for me." was her response. Gippal hopped up and pulled her into his arms for a kiss. Rikku complied, making it count for all it was worth. Several gasps and stuttered 'bu-bu-bu" 's came from the Machine Faction workers.

"Do you have any where in mind, honey-lips?" he asked after the kiss. Rikku smiled too sweetly at him.

"Oh, any where you want to go, luscious." she said in her best imitation of Leblanc around Nooj. Gippal let out what sounded like a cough, his ears turning a little red, and turned to the man sitting at the right of his vacated chair.

"You heard the lady. I've got to go!" was all he said and led Rikku out of the room. When they got onto the street, they burst out laughing, supporting each other so that they did not fall. Several moments were dedicated to mirth, and then hunger made itself know to the two of them in the form of complaining stomachs. Rikku had made sure to arrive hungry.

"Did you record that, Gippal?" she asked as they began walking.

"You better believe I did. Man, that was better than I hoped it would be. And where did 'luscious' come from?"

"What, do you mind my pet name for you?" she asked playfully.

"Uh, not really, but do you have to say it like Leblanc? That lady gives me the heebie-jeebies whenever Nooj is around her."

"Absolutely. It doesn't sound right if I say it normally." Gippal shook his head and changed the subject.

"You look lovely today, Cid's girl." Rikku beamed up at him for noticing. Her dress was form fitting white linen that fell mid thigh and had narrow shoulder straps. The neck line was just below her collar bones. The only jewelry she wore were her feather earrings; her hair was half up, half down, so that it cascaded around her shoulders.

The wind picked up again, blowing her hair around like a toy. "Hey!" she yelled at the wind. When it died down, Rikku grumbled curses under her breath as she attempted to untangle her hair.

"It looks fine, Rikku." Gippal said, leading her on toward a little café that had a large, steaming cup of coffee on the window. Rikku immediately liked it. Any place that served coffee was fine by her. She then turned her attention back to her messy hair. "I said it looked fine, what are you worried about? You can brush it later. Or I can, if you stay up late."

Rikku frowned at him. "But it's all messy!" she said. "It took forever to brush it smooth." Gippal removed her hands from her hair and wrapped them around his neck, his own hands around her slim waist. This quieted her, but she was pouting slightly, her heart not entirely in it. Gippal kissed her deeply, drawing her close against him, forcing all unhappy thoughts from her mind.

"I know it's messy, but it's a good messy." he said.

"How is it 'good messy'?" The smirk appeared on his face and Rikku almost dreaded his answer.

"Because it looks like we just incredibly great sex together."

Rikku dropped her head onto his chest, not wanting Gippal to see her blush. "You really are an ass." She could hear him laughing and it made her smile in spite of herself.

"True, but you're not worried about your hair anymore, are you?" She sighed and looked up at his face. Her blush had been under control, but the look Gippal gave her brought it back full force. "What? I did say you looked good..." he said with a real smile. "Or don't you like being the one the girls are jealous of? Hmm?"

"Why would they be jealous of me and my messy hair?" Rikku asked with a frown.

"Rikku, Rikku, they're jealous because you're with me and they aren't."

"You are so conceited."

"Right again. Shall we eat, oh messy-haired one?" Gippal dodged a hand that was aimed at his head and kissed her again. He then led her into the café and found a small booth to sit in. Rikku was sitting opposite Gippal, still trying to fix her hair, but giving up hope of ever getting the knots out. With a sigh, she tossed her hair over her shoulder so that she would not be reminded of its presence.

After a delicious lunch, coffee was ordered. Gippal watched in amazement as Rikku poured nearly half of the sugar container into her coffee. She took a sip, then added a sprinkle more sugar. _Now it tastes right._ she thought.

"How do you drink it black? Coffee tastes much better with creamer in it."

"No way. I like it black. It's more stimulating, or something." was her reply followed by a sip of her coffee. "Creamer makes it too mellow."

"If you say so. For some reason, I don't think you need extra stimulus. Besides me, of course." Gippal ignored the glare she sent his way. Just then, his comm unit bleeped, and upon answering it found his right-hand man wanting to know when he would be back. Before he could respond, Rikku leaned over the table and activated the unit.

"Gippal's _busy_ right now. Why don't you talk to him when he gets back?" There was silence on the other end and then a scared sounding 'okay'. Rikku sat back down in her seat, savoring her coffee. She loved the smell of it as well as the taste. Gippal was smiling at what had just happened. He was smiling for so long, Rikku wondered if something was wrong. "Uh, Gippal? What are you grinning at? Nothing funny happened."

"You, my sweet, are very selfish. Wanting me all to yourself."

"You have a problem with that?" she asked with one eyebrow raised.

"Not at all. I like it, actually. Makes me feel special." Gippal finished his coffee and turned back to Rikku. "Are you finished? We should leave before it starts raining." Rikku glanced out the window and saw that the sky had turned gray and cold. She drank the last gulp of her coffee and followed Gippal out of the café. Only a few minutes had passed, the couple walking swiftly towards Gippal's inn, when it began raining. Huge rain drops splattered on the ground and on pedestrians, quickly soaking everything that was not under cover. This included Rikku and Gippal.

Gippal grabbed her hand and they ran all the way back to the inn. Being out of the rain was wonderful and all, but it did not alleviate the condition of their clothing. Rikku stood in the lobby, shivering from the cold rain, her hands rubbing her arms and jumping up and down for warmth. She looked like a drowned lupine and she knew it.

Rikku started when Gippal snapped at Mr. Helpful, making the man go pale and stammer an apology. She had not heard what he said, being more concerned with getting warm and dry than with Mr. Helpful.

"You sure picked a bad day to wear a white dress, Rikku." His tone of voice startled her. He was angry; she could see that by his expression. Angry on her behalf. It made her warm up inside despite her soaked condition.

"How was I supposed to know it would rain like this?" she asked, as Gippal propelled her down the hall and up a flight of stairs. He unlocked a room and ushered her inside.

"It's called a weather report."

Rikku's eyes narrowed at him, sending invisible daggers at his good eye. "What got you into such a bad mood?"

Gippal stepped right in front of her, glaring down into her face. He was intimidating, but she knew he would never hurt her, so she was not afraid. "What got me in a bad mood? Here's a hint: you can see right through that dress of yours. The desk clerk was getting an eye-full."

"Oh." Rikku could see how that was a bad thing. "It's not like I can help what white does when it gets wet! Don't you get mad at me for that!"

"I'm not mad at _you_, I'm mad at that idiot for undressing you with his eyes. Not that your present state of attire leaves much to the imagination. He's lucky I didn't gouge his eyes out." _Ohh, so he's jealous again. I get it. Hehe. _She snuggled herself up against his body, both for warmth and for effect. She pulled his head down by the hair and gave him a passionate kiss. It only took half a second for him to respond, pulling her tightly against him.

"What brought that on?" Gippal asked breathlessly.

"Because you were thinking about gouging that man's eyes out for looking at me."

He shook his head at her logic, but did not dispute it. Rikku was happy to have changed his mood. She liked to whole angry-male thing, but she did not like being the cause of anger, even if it was not directed at her.

"Um, not to ruin the mood or anything, but I'm really cold." she said, shivering.

"Sorry. Go dry off. The bathroom's in there." He indicated a door on the other side of the bed. Rikku ran inside, desperate to get dry and warm. She peeled the dress off and laid it carefully on the counter. She looked around and found towels in a small closet and a large, fuzzy robe beside them. Rikku sighed and removed her bra and panties. As much as she wanted to be clothed, wet undergarments were extremely uncomfortable. The robe was quickly wrapped about her small person, looking quite large on her. It was warm though, and that was all that mattered.

The under-ware found themselves wrapped inside the dress and she emerged, towel in one hand, wet clothing in the other. Gippal had already changed, except for his shirt, which was just being pulled over his head.

"Nice abs." was all she said. He really did have nice abs, the kind one would start drooling over. Gippal turned to her and gave a smirk, then gathered his discarded clothes from the floor and reached for hers. She gave them up, and started drying her hair. It was tangled and wet and she had no hope of getting it under control. Gippal disappeared out the door for a few minutes, and then returned to find Rikku sitting on his bed, attempting to unknot her hair with her fingers. She was sitting on one leg while the other was over the side of the bed, her foot on the floor. The robe had fallen open at the bottom, revealing quite a bit of leg.

"Nice legs." Rikku looked up at him through a curtain of hair.

"Thanks. I've always thought they were nice too." She continued to untangle her hair with curses uttered every so often.

"So, you just couldn't wait to get in my bed, huh?"

"I'm not in your bed, so don't go there. Do you have a comb or something? This isn't working at all." she said with disgust. Gippal chuckled and brought her a comb, sitting down behind her so that she fell into his lap from the shifting of the mattress. "Hey!" she yelled, making herself more comfortable against him. "You could have made me fall!"

"I'd have caught you." he said, taking the comb form Rikku's hand and began the detangling process. Rikku protested but subsided after a few futile attempts to get the comb back. She tried to stay still, but could not. "Quite squirming, wiggly-worm."

"I'm not a worm you pile of gug-snot."

"Gug-snot! I am not a pile of gug-snot! I'm a BIG pile of gug-snot. Thank you very much." He said it to make her laugh, and it worked.

"My mistake then. I'll remember that for future referance." Rikku's hair was now untangled, much to her surprise. He even braided it for her. She admired Gippal's handy-work in the mirror. "You did a good job! Where'd you learn to do that? Or do I want to know?"

"I watched your mom untangle it plenty of times before we could eat dinner." Gippal then grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her down onto the bed, making her squeal. She found herself beside him, held close against his body. Rikku did not mind in the least. She shifted onto her side so that she could put her head on his chest.

"I always thought you watched because it embarrassed me." she said, moving her head to look up at Gippal.

"I did. But that doesn't mean I didn't learn anything from it." Rikku poked him in the stomach for that comment, making him laugh. _Ah ha! I forgot that Gippal's ticklish! Mwahahahaha. _She attacked without warning, tickling like a fiend (if fiends tickled). Gippal tried his best to get away from her, but then resorted to tickling _her_.

"No fair! No fair!" she yelled, unable to fend off the tickling hands. She tried rolling off the bed, but Gippal would have none of it. He pulled her back to him and continued the tickle war until Rikku admitted defeat. She was panting for breath, and so was he. His clothes were disheveled and her robe was coming slightly untied. It was just their luck that Gippal's assistant decided to walk in at that moment. He stopped short, jaw unhinged, staring. Rikku frowned at the man. "Didn't you ever hear of knocking?" she said.

"I-ah I'm sorry. I just knew Gippal needed his paper-work and..."

"And that means you don't knock on the door before entering?" Gippal laughed and turned to the man, named Plaazt.

"Its okay, Plaazt. You weren't interrupting anything disreputable."

"He still should have knocked..." Rikku said, still frowning.

The man looked relieved at his leader's words, but gave a wary look in Rikku's direction. Gippal laughed again, and Plaazt retreated as fast as he could to get out of Rikku's glare.

"I think you scared him, honey-lips." he said with a grin plastered on his face. The grin turned evil. "Want to watch the sphere of your entrance?" The frown disappeared, replaced by an impish grin.

"Yes! I can't wait to see it! This'll be great."

The sphere recorder was retrieved by Gippal and they watched it over and over, delighting in the expressions on the faces of the Al Bhed. Rikku was even more delighted by what happened after they left. No one in the room moved for a moment, and then Plaazt spoke up. 'Was that really Cid's daughter?'

'No, couldn't be. She won't wear dresses.'

'You sure? Cause it looked like her."

'Gippal sure is brave. Cid's going to skin him alive.'

The conversation continued in this vein, the workers wondering what kind of punishment Cid would have in store for Gippal. Or for any man that tried to date his daughter. Gippal winced at some of the ideas they came up with. Rikku laughed all the harder. Finally they returned to working. She turned the sphere off, not wanting to watch anything boring. Rikku moved over on the bed, patting the spot beside her for Gippal to sit next to her. He did not sit, but lay down, hands behind his head, one heel balancing on the toe of the other foot. Rikku snuggled down next to him.

"I think I know what I'll buy you to wear." he said moving his arms to hold Rikku.

"What are you thinking? I bet it's naughty."

"I'll buy you a robe, so that you can walk around naked underneath it."

"What makes you think I'd do it?" she asked.

"Well, you're naked now aren't you?" Rikku sat up and glared at him.

"How do you know that?" she said incredulously.

The smirk returned, and Rikku wondered if she had shut the door when she changed. "I 'accidentally' dropped your stuff. I like your taste in bras." Rikku pummeled his shoulder with her fist. Gippal grabbed her wrists and held them together so that she could not hit him again. Rikku pouted, unable to free her hands.

"I didn't hit you that hard, you big meanie." she said, trying once again to free her hands.

"Careful, Rikku. I might just start a wrestling match with you. Though I think I would win that round, don't you?" Rikku was still pouting, this time with full force. Gippal sat up and brushed his lips against hers, barely touching them, but somehow pulling on her lower lip. Rikku felt a chill go down her spine. She leaned forward against him, parting her lips slightly, inviting his tongue into her mouth. Gippal complied, pulling her to lay half on top of him.

Rikku found that her hands were released, and she laid one on Gippal's chest, stroking the muscles beneath the cloth. The other hand was being run through his hair. It was very soft, making her want to put both hands in it. Her other hand was happily occupied, so only one got to play with his hair.

Eventually, the kisses became gentle, and Rikku laid her head on his chest just below his chin. She was happy. She was also warm and so very comfortable. Between the rain beating on the windows and the rhythmic breathing of Gippal, she fell into a deep sleep, a smile gracing her lips.

**Soooooooo...what did you think? I'm not sure I'm quite awake, so forgive errors, please. And if it sucks, blame it on my wretched sleep-cycles. Anywho, sorry it took me a while to post this, but I hope it is worth the wait! **

**Please r&r! thanks! J**

**Tagg. **


	10. When it Rains, it Pours

**Ok sea monkeys! Here we go again! I have been doing some MAJOR sleeping, and guess what? I'm still tired! Seriously, I slept for like, 12 hours, and I could go right back to sleep. That's ok, because raspberry lintzer cookies are my friends! Hehe. Since you guys like my story, I'll share them! (_tagg gives her reviewers a cookie) _**

**So, Rikku got caught in the rain wearing white, and Gippal was all jealous-boyfriend-like. Now they are asleep in the same bed, wonder what will happen next...**

**Find out in our next episode: Chapter 8: When it Rains, it Pours.**

**I don't own FFX-2, but if I did, I would have enough money to go to Italy like I want to.**

Chapter 8: When it Rains, it Pours

It was still raining when Rikku woke up. It pattered on the window and the roof, creating a soothing lull. Nothing seemed to be stirring at all. She was not worried about it though. The idea of falling back asleep was too tempting to resist. She was so comfortable, lying next to Gippal with a warm blanket pulled over her. _Blanket? I didn't have a blanket over me before. Gippal must've got me one. He knows I hate being cold, almost as much as I hate cleaning dishes. _

She shifted her position slightly, noting as she did so that Gippal was fast asleep. He looked so peaceful. No signs of fatigue or worry were on his face. Gippal had always been tired; ever since he was a child he almost never slept. A few hours a night, if that, somehow sustained him. Rikku wondered how he could function on so little rest. She slept at least seven hours a night, more if she was allowed to. Her all time record was eighteen hours.

Rikku watched him sleeping for a few minutes, and then snuggled back down against him. She let out a soft sigh and closed her eyes. Then the unthinkable happened: she had to pee. It is always when you really do not want to pee that you always have to go. It is a fact of life. Mother Nature had not designed human beings to hold it.

Grumbling to herself, she reluctantly and carefully extracted herself from Gippal's arms, not wanting to disturb him. After answering the call of nature, Rikku climbed back into bed, slowly so that she would not wake him up. The man just did not get enough sleep. Just as she was snuggled against him again, he shifted onto his side so that he was facing her and opened a bleary eye.

"Where'd you go..." he mumbled, almost intelligibly. Fortunately, Rikku was fluent in sleepy-ese. She smiled apologetically, looking sheepish.

"Sorry. I tried not to wake you up. I had to pee." she explained quietly. Rikku made herself more comfortable, pulling the blanket up around her. Rikku was always cold when she slept. It was why a large collection of blankets lived at the foot of whatever bed she was using. She much preferred the thick, fluffy comforter and then some blankets, but she was not about to make Gippal move so that she could get under the covers.

"Mmmm..." he said, getting up from the bed groggily. Rikku frowned at him.

"You don't have to get up, Gippal. Let's go back to sleep." He did not listen. Instead, he managed to un-make the bed and put Rikku underneath the covers without fully waking up. He kicked off his boots, Rikku wondering how he accomplished the feat considering there were buckles and straps to undo, and climbed in beside her. This was surprising. Gippal always slept with just the sheet. He hated being warm for some reason. She was not about to argue though. She was warm, she had a very warm, good looking man next to her in bed, and she was going back to sleep. Life was good.

The next time Rikku woke, the sky was still gray and wet. It was lighter than before, when she had had to go to the bathroom. It had been night then, and the window black. _It must be morning._ she thought sleepily. She yawned and stretched gently, then shifted her body slightly. Her back was to Gippal's chest and his arm was wrapped around her waist. She could feel his breath on the nape of her neck. It tickled. Rikku tried to adjust her position, so that she would not wake him with a fit of laughter. She tried to no avail. No matter what she did, he was still breathing on her neck.

"Stop that." Gippal said, eye still closed. He was speaking sleepy-ese again. Rikku smiled and moved again, just to spite him.

"Sorry, can't help it." Rikku was suppressing her giggles; she did not want Gippal to let her go, after all. Gippal tightened him grip on her waist, pulling her right up against him. He nuzzled her neck, sending a shiver down her spine. She moved again, this time so that she was leaning against him, making the most of the full body contact. "You need to shave." she said with a giggle.

"And you really need to stop squirming." Gippal started kissing her neck after he spoke, causing Rikku to inhale sharply. She relaxed with the exhalation, enjoying the warmth that bubbled into being inside her stomach. She even moved her head a little, giving him better access. He made full use of the invitation. Rikku sighed, then grinned. An idea had been hatched in her sleepy brain.

Rikku moved yet again, earning a growl from Gippal, and turned so that she was facing him. When she was snuggled close against him, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a deep kiss. Now, one must keep in mind that it is morning, and that both Rikku and Gippal had gone to bed without brushing their teeth. There is nothing in this world that shows just how much one cares about another than by kissing them with Morning Breath. It is one of nature's ways to make sure one chooses the right partner in life, not to mention what toothpaste one uses.

Kissing someone with Morning Breath is not something one should do in a new relationship. It has been know to ruin what could have become the greatest romances in history, not to mention ones that would not have been so great. On the other hand, if the couple can survive an encounter with it, it can survive almost anything the world can throw at them. This includes a shortage in world coffee supplies and a drastic reduction in chocolate bars due to a troop of cocoa bean eating monkeys running rampage around the forests, eating every cocoa bean they can get their grubby little hands on.

Apparently, Rikku and Gippal would go down in history as one of the few couples to survive a Morning Breath encounter this early in a relationship. Gippal returned her kiss fervently, trying to hold Rikku as close to himself as possible.

"You're not making this easy for me, Cid's girl." he said when they parted. Rikku blinked her eyes innocently at him.

"Why, whatever do you mean, Luscious?" Gippal gave her a very odd look, somewhere between humor and irony.

"Here I am, trying to be a gentleman and _not_ take that robe off of you, and you go and kiss and rub up against me like that." Rikku laughed softly against his shoulder. "It's not that funny. You wouldn't be laughing if you knew what I was thinking about." He contradicted his words with a smile on his face, pointedly keeping his hands, almost, to himself.

"It's not my fault you woke up in an amorous mood." she said with a smile of her own.

"It's your fault for encouraging it, though." he said into her ear. "It's also your fault I woke up like this." He stroked her neck with a finger, moving it down to her collar bone.

"And that is my fault... how?" Rikku retorted with an eye brow raised. "I didn't do anything to warrant this mood of yours."

"You like being warm."

"Okaaaaay..."

"So do I. A little too much, I think. Why do you think I never sleep with more than a sheet? Or why I never share a bed with anyone, for that matter."

"Being warm makes you horny?" she asked, now with both eyebrows raised. Gippal chuckled, shaking his head.

"Not in and of itself, but it certainly helps. You certainly help in that department." Rikku rolled her eyes dramatically at this revelation. "You do." She ruffled his hair, her finger nail getting caught on his eye patch. Rikku frowned at it, and then pulled it off his face and head. She ruffled his hair again, smiling when there was no interference.

Gippal did not usually wear the eye patch when he slept or was alone. He only wore it because his eye bothered other people, not himself. The right eye matched his left one perfectly, except for the scar that ran across the middle of the iris and pupil. No one really knew how his eye had been damaged except for Brother, and he would not tell. Rikku had never asked, thinking it might be awkward for him to talk about. She was one of the few people he did not always wear the eye patch around. Staring at his blind eye, she decided to ask anyway.

"What really happened to your eye, Gippal?" she said quietly, trying not to sound too curious.

"An unfortunate accident with a machina."

"DUH! I know that, but what happened? Brother knows but he won't crack."

"I should think not." Rikku frowned at him. "Okay, okay. I was caught doing something I shouldn't have been doing." He grinned broadly at the memory of it.

"How can you smile about losing your eye? It's not funny."

"No, its not, but it was worth the price."

"And what were you doing?" An absolute evil grin occupied his face. Rikku wondered just what deviltry he had been up to.

"I was spying on you and your friends when you went skinny dipping at the Oasis and Brother caught me."

Rikku bolted up right, glaring at Gippal. "YOU WERE SPYING ON US?!" she yelled. Gippal put a finger to her lips in an effort to silence her. She remembered that she was at an inn and other people were probably still sleeping. So she decided to glower at him instead of yell. She also grabbed a pillow and began beating him with it. Gippal laughed out loud, not bothering to defend himself from the onslaught. When she had exhausted her pillow fighting strength Rikku tried to go back to glowering, but could not because of the smile that kept creeping into her face. "So why didn't he just beat you up?"

"That's the good part. I had a sphere recorder taping you, and Brother didn't seem to like that. So he sent a machina after me. I don't think he meant to really hurt me, but the machina malfunctioned and started shooting at me in stead of chasing me. One of the bullets caught my eye, and that was that."

Rikku began hitting him with the pillow again, only this time Gippal blocked most of her attacks, a grin plastered on his face. He thwarted her hits by removing the pillow from her grasp. "You recorded us?! What happened to the sphere?"

"I kept it, of course." Rikku lunged at him, grabbing his shirt with both hands.

"If you showed that to anyone so help me I'll..."

"As if I would let some other guy see you naked. It's one of my favorite treasures."

"You still have it? Gippal, that wasn't worth losing your eye for! Besides, that was over three years ago!" she said, exasperated.

"And oh so much fun to watch. I'd show it to you, but it's locked up safely. The only sphere anyone saw with you in it was the one from your fifteenth birthday."

"And who'd you show that to?" Her hands were balled up into fists. That sphere was not exactly flattering, even if she was clothed.

"Barali wanted to see it. He saw me packing it up one time and asked what it was. He wanted to see what kind of girl could fascinate me so much that I kept a sphere of her with me. He said you were cute." Rikku blushed and let go of Gippal's shirt. "I've got it here, if you want to see it." She nodded her assent when she remembered beating the daylights out of him on that sphere. He rummaged around in the night stand for a moment then tossed a sphere into her hands. She played it.

_Rikku stood in the center of the screen, smiling. She was holding a set of matching daggers in her hands, admiring them. She then began experimenting with them, slashing at the air. _

"_Soooo, you like my presents, Cid's girl?" Gippal was holding the recorder._

"_Yeah! These rock. How'd you make them, Gippal?"_

_"Trade secret. You have a good birthday?"_

_"Yup! This is the best day ever!" Rikku jumped in the air with the last word she said. _

_"You want to jump in the air again, Cid's girl?" he said in that cocky tone of voice he was so well known for._

_"Why?" Rikku was suspicious. Gippal never asked her to do anything with out some kind of ulterior motive, usually to tease her. _

_The recorder zoomed in on Rikku's chest, giving an excellent view. "Cause I have a great view down the front of your shirt." _

_Rikku roared and tried to grab the recorder, but Gippal jumped out of the way, laughing his head off. "You give me that you mass of shoopuf-vomit!" She lunged again, this time catching him and knocking him to the ground. The recorder fell to the side, taping only sand and the sound of Rikku punching and kicking Gippal. Then the recording stopped._

"You showed a sphere of yourself getting beat up by a girl to your friend?" It was just not, well, a manly thing to do.

"You bet. He also said I was very brave to want you as a girlfriend." Gippal smirked at her. "I'm inclined to agree with him."

"Hey! I'm not that bad..." Rikku was pouting for all she was worth. _I'm a nice person. I only beat him up because he purposely annoyed me. Besides, he could have pinned me anytime. _It made her so sad that he said such a thing. Gippal noticed, and sat up beside her.

"I didn't mean it like that. I was playing. Don't be mad."

"I'm not mad." she said, still pouting. Gippal did not believe her, and gave her a tight hug, not giving any room for movement on her part.

"Please stop pouting like that. I'm sorry, really." Rikku looked up at him.

"Really, really?"

"Really, really. Now stop pouting. You're making me feel guilty." Rikku did not stop, but she lessened the pout on her lips. She was not letting him off the hook so easily.

"Good. You should feel guilty." was all she said.

"So tell me how I can make up for being mean." Rikku thought for a minute and her face brightened suddenly.

"Breakfast. I want breakfast. With pancakes, and lots of bacon. And coffee. Lots of coffee." Gippal laughed.

"I should have known. The way into your heart is through your stomach."

"And in bed. But you're being a gentleman, so I won't go there." she said impishly. "So where are my clothes? I can't go out for breakfast with out clothes. Unless you want me to wear just the robe, that is." Rikku fluttered her eyelashes at him, smiling.

"No way are you wearing just that robe anywhere but with me, in private." Gippal tightened his grip on her to emphasize his point. She laughed at him, nodding her agreement. He let her go, not really wanting to, but knowing that Rikku was hungry and getting hungrier spurred him into action. He disappeared out the door for a little while, and then returned, holding a neatly folded bundle that turned out to be her clothing. She hopped out of bed and reached for them. She really was hungry, and the sooner dressed, the sooner food would reach her stomach.

"Do you want a shower first, or last?" she asked. Normally she would have just gone and taken one without asking, but she thought she should be nice. There was food at stake, after all.

"You first." Rikku set her clothes on the foot of the bed, so that they would stay dry. Then she ran into the bathroom, closing the door. "And you'd better save me some hot water, Cid's girl!" The shower was already going, so her response was muffled.

"Don't you know these places have ridiculously large water heaters?"

"So? You'd still better save me some. I hate cold showers."

"You could always join me..." Rikku could picture his expression and it made her laugh. _I'm so mean. I wonder if he'll take it seriously. _she thought. He did not join her, so she guessed the answer was no. _Pity. Oh well. It's not like I take long showers anyway. _She turned off the water, and grabbed a towel. The towels and the robe matched exactly, making her wonder just how much they cost. The Sun Rose had happy, multi-colored towels and robes that did not match each other but matched the décor. She had not bothered to wash her hair. It would take forever to get it dry again. She examined the medicine cabinet, and found a new toothbrush. Taking advantage of it was one of her top priorities. Morning Breath was not pleasant to keep for very long. So after brushing her teeth and removing most of the excess water on her skin, Rikku emerged from the steamy bathroom clad in a towel. "It's all yours, luscious." Gippal shook his head at her attire, then walked into the bathroom himself.

"You do realize there's a hamper in here, right?" he said through the door.

"Huh? Hamper?"

"You left the robe on the floor."

"Oh. Sorry about that. Guess I forget."

"That's okay. I'll clean up after you. Don't worry about it." His voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"Thank you, darling." The shower started up again, and all conversation rolled to a halt. Rikku was busy drying off, so she did not mind. After the under garments were donned, Rikku had a thought. "You didn't give these to Mr. Helpful to have them dried, did you?" she yelled at him.

"No way. The lady that does the laundry is awesome here. I gave them to her." There was a pause then, "Why, is something wrong with them?"

"Nope. Just thought I'd ask." Rikku then looked at her hair in the mirror. It was a total mess. The mirror in the bathroom had been fogged up, so she had not noticed earlier. She frowned at her reflection, then went in search of the comb Gippal had used the previous day. It was not on the dresser, nor the night stand. She looked on the floor around the bed and found it. It had fallen half under the bed beside the night stand. Rikku stood up triumphantly, her prize in her hand.

Her hair actually looked decent, what with the waves the braid had added. She combed it as smooth as it would go, then decided that she had better not try for anything more than decent. She would probably make it look worse. Nothing was wrong with looking like you just got out of bed.

Rikku jumped when a pair of arms wrapped around her waist and a kiss laid on her neck. She let out a long breath and glared at Gippal in the mirror. "Don't you scare me like that, Gippal."

"Sorry." he said, kissing her neck again. "Shouldn't you be wearing that dress?"

"Why? You've already seen me naked, what's wrong with seeing me in under ware?"

"Nothing's _wrong_ with seeing you in under ware. It's eye candy. Puts naughty thoughts in my head, too." Rikku giggled and turned around so that she could get a real kiss. Her arms wrapped around his neck, feeling the warmth of his skin and her hands went through his still damp hair. She felt like they could stay this way forever. "You really need to put that dress on." he said between kisses.

"And if I don't?"

"I'll take you back to bed and make sweet, passionate love to you all day long."

"Ooooo, you promise?" She gave him her best, thousand watt smile. It made him sigh but he still insisted she get dressed. Rikku pouted again, playfully. Gippal pulled her into another kiss, pressing her against him, his hands beginning to wander a bit.

"Get dressed." he said pulling away from her but not letting go. Rikku was quite breathless and did not want to get dressed at all. She was about to argue when she saw that his face was serious. Letting out a sigh of her own, Rikku nodded her head.

"You have to let me go if you want me dressed..." Gippal slowly stepped away from her. She noted that he was already dressed in clean unwrinkled clothes. _He must have brought them in the bathroom with him. I can't believe he would pass up the chance to tease me. Although, if he's this reactive fully clothed, it was a good idea. Well, not good, but, um, gentlemanly I guess. _Rikku made her way over to the bed to get her dress, feeling his gaze follow her. She liked the sensation. After the dress was put on, slowly, she turned around with her arms held out. "Is this better?" she asked.

"Much." Gippal walked over and put his arms around her saying "Although I think I like you better with out clothes on." He was grinning at her, trying to get a reaction. Rikku did not disappoint him. She rolled her eyes dramatically, throwing her head back.

"Then why'd you tell me to get dressed?"

Gippal laughed and kissed her, just as she had planned. It was a nice long kiss, and would have lasted longer if the door had not burst open, spraying splinters of wood all over the floor.

**Woo-hoo! Finally finished! This took me forever to write for some reason. Oh well. I wonder who broke the door? It is...did you really think I would tell you? You are just going to have to wait for the next chapter. It will be good too. **

**Sorry this took so long. I would have posted it last night, but my friend forced me to be social and go to a club with her. I had fun, so it's ok. She's my best friend in the whole widest world. Only for her would I go out late at night in the city. We did not get home until like 2:30. It was great. Anywho, stay tuned for the next chapter! Please r&r! I need happy reviews to spur on my desire to finish writing this. It might take a while though. **

**(tagg gives everyone another cookie, because this chapter was kinda long and took some time to read.) **


	11. The Breakfast Blues

**Ok, Sea monkeys! The past 5 days have sucked for me. I think I have a case of the flu. Which means I have only been able to eat soda-crackers and soup. No cookies... (pathetic frown). That is the reason I have not posted or even been able to work on this chapter. So I'm sorry if this took too long for those of you craving updates! Hehe.**

**So, let us find out who had to break the door! Could it be Cid? Or Brother, maybe? But how could they find out about Rikku and Gippal being together? And what about Rikku's breakfast?! (Before you ask, breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. And I love bacon. Pancakes are wonderful with real maple syrup, and the bacon gets all smothered in it, and buttermilk biscuits with jam...) Ok, story time, tagg, not that you could eat any of that right now anyways... that is such a sad thought. Me not being able to eat... (sighs) Here we go!**

**I don't own FFX-2, but if I did, I would have a private chef only to make me yummy breakfast food!**

**Chapter 9: The Breakfast Blues**

The second the door burst open, Gippal pushed Rikku behind him. She was about to tell him that she could fight just as well as he could when she remembered that she was unarmed and wearing a dress. Elizza would be so upset if something happened to her dress. Actually, she would be more upset about her being in a fight than about the dress getting ruined. Then she realized that Gippal was being protective of her. This thought completely changed her mood. No one had ever felt the need to protect her because she _could_ defend herself. Anyone that knew her knew that.

A warm fuzzy feeling filled her, and she stepped closer to Gippal, putting a hand on his back. She even went so far as to lean her head against him. The fact that he had not launched into action, coupled with her feeling the muscles in his back relax, let her know there was nothing to really worry about. She lifted her head when Gippal started talking.

"What the hell are you doing, breaking the door, and the frame, I might add. I'm going to have to pay for that." Rikku heard heavy breathing from the direction of the door, and peeked around his shoulder to see who it was. She frowned at who her eyes found. It was Plaazt. He was soaking, ringing wet and bent over double, hands on his knees. He said something unintelligible, and shook his head. She came out from behind Gippal, still frowning.

Plaazt looked up at her movement. He certainly looked like he felt guilty about the door. He also looked a little scared for some reason. _Damn right he should be scared! Man I'm going to throttle_ _him!_ Rikku kept up this train of thought silently, because Gippal had given her a 'look' that said not to berate the man yet. She held onto the 'not yet' part, waiting to hear some kind of explanation.

Plaazt had finally caught his breath somewhat. "Sorry, Gippal, but I was down at the docks and Cid's coming here! I ran as fast as I could to get here before he did..."

"Why would he be worried about Pop coming here?" Rikku asked, biting down the urge to hit the man over the head.

"Because he's pissed. Somehow he found out you stayed here, Rikku...you didn't see the look on his face. I haven't seen him this upset since you mother passed away." Rikku was taken aback. How Cid had found out she slept here last night was beyond her. She turned to Gippal, grabbing his arm. He looked down at her curiously.

"Gippal, Pop nearly went crazy when Mom died..." She was starting to get a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. Cid could be very dangerous. "He might try to hurt you!" Gippal chuckled at her, covering her hand with his own.

"I think I can handle Cid, Rikku." he said. She did not look reassured. "It's not like anything happened."

"He won't care about that, not if he's that angry. You've never seen him in a fight." she responded.

"Rikku's got a point, Gippal. I don't know what he'll do. Cid can take on odds you and I wouldn't have a hope of winning against. How do you think he got those moonstones for his wife?" Plaazt broke in, trying to make Gippal see just how bad the situation could get. Before he could answer someone else stormed into the room.

It was Cid. He looked around the room, noting the messy bed and Rikku standing next to Gippal, his hand on hers. His face darkened, and he strode angrily up to Gippal.

"YOU GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY DAUGHTER!"

Gippal stepped in front of Rikku again, shielding her from her father's gaze and anger. Rikku was not afraid of her father, but she knew when he was really and truly pissed off. Now was one of the few times she had seen him really and truly pissed off. When her mother had died, everyone had been afraid Cid would have to be committed, he had raged on so. Only the sight of his daughter saved him. She looked just like her mother. They even had the same smile. Cid had taken hold of himself because he realized that he still had a piece of his wife in this life, and he had to take care of it or loose it forever. Not that it made him a great father, but he had tried his best. The other time was when she had been playing with a baby marlboro and its mother had come looking for it. Rikku would have died if her father had not saved her. Cid had been livid, not even able to yell at her for doing such a stupid thing. She had been sent to her room by a pointing finger and a growl. Later on he had yelled at her, which she was comfortable with since they were always yelling at one another. She did not know what her father would do at the moment, but at least he was yelling. She could deal with yelling.

"It's nice to see you too, Cid. How are things?" Gippal sounded like he was talking to an old, not-angry friend, but he was tense, and kept his gaze on the advancing Cid. When Rikku started to move so that she was not behind him, Gippal put a firm arm out, hampering her movement. She frowned at his back, and stayed put for the moment. She would let him play 'over-protective-male' for a while. Not for too long though. Rikku could handle her father better than anyone else.

"How are things?! You get your filthy paws off of my daughter and you stay away from her!" Cid was within striking distance now, but did not lash out yet.

"I don't hear her saying that. Until I do, my hands will stay right where they are. It was so nice of you to visit. Come back when you can talk like a civilized person instead of yelling and disturbing the others guests here." Gippal was talking to Cid like he was a child. Cid certainly was acting like a child; a very angry, strong child.

"Don't you talk to me like that! You aren't worthy of my daughter, you never will be! Now get out of my way." Cid yelled, inches away from Gippal's face. "Rikku! You get over here right now. We're leaving!"

"She's not going anywhere with you, Cid. Not while you're in this temper. Like I said before, come back when you can talk like a civilized adult."

"No way am I leaving her with some man-whore like you! I know all about those girls of yours."

Rikku had been listening, letting Gippal have his way for a while. She was actually glad he was there, taking the brunt of her father's anger for her. Cid had never yelled like this at her, and she did not want him to start. When she heard Cid calling Gippal a 'man-whore', Rikku felt her temper flare. She jumped out from behind Gippal despite his insistence that she stay there. It was her turn to yell.

"How dare you barge in here, throwing insults?!" Rikku stood in front of her father with fists clenched and a glare in her eyes that would scare even the most determined of fiends away. "I don't remember calling for help, and I don't need to be saved. What business is it of yours where I stay and who I stay with? You haven't had any say in what I do for years, so don't start pretending to care what I do now!"

Cid stared at his daughter for a moment, shocked that she was talking to him like that. Rikku had always done what she wanted, but she never really did anything that went against his wishes. She had been a good, if some what stubborn, daughter. It was another similarity between her and her mother. She had gone her own way, marrying Cid against her own father's wishes.

"I might not have been the perfect parent, but I raised you with more sense than to become another name on Gippal's list of women! I am not going to watch you get hurt because of him!"

"So what? It's my decision, and I will take whatever comes from it! Now leave us alone! And call off your little spies. I am not going to be watched over by a grumpy old man who can't realize I'm not a child anymore!" Rikku intended the words to sting, to make him walk away and leave her alone as she wanted. She watched as Cid's face flamed red and he stammered.

"Fine! You want to be his little slut, go right ahead! But don't you come crying to me when he casts you off like yesterday's newspaper!"

Rikku's jaw dropped. _How could he say that? I'm not like that..._She felt tears well up in her eyes as she slapped him across the face with as much force as she could muster. It made Cid rock backwards and rub his cheek. Then Gippal came into her view and punched her father full in the face, nearly knocking him to the ground. Things were about to escalate when a voice boomed out from the doorway.

"ENOUGH!"

Everyone turned to the voice, which belonged to Raas. He took up the entire doorway, standing there with his jaw clenched. Raas proceeded into the room and grabbed Cid by the shirt.

"That's enough, Cid. You're leaving. Now." With that, Raas propelled him out of the room and out of the inn. Plaazt went to the window to make sure Cid was really leaving. Rikku stared at the spot that her father had been in just a few moments before. His words kept ringing in her ears. She felt hands on her shoulders, and turned so that she could bury her face in Gippal's chest. He hugged her tightly, not saying anything. Rikku did not want to talk at that moment anyway. She thought that maybe she could forget those hurtful words if she stayed right where she was, in Gippal's arms.

Heavy footsteps were coming down the hallway and into the room. She felt Gippal stir slightly, looking at whomever had entered. The footsteps came closer and Rikku felt a heavy hand on her shoulder. A sigh escaped Raas' lips and he moved away to sit in a chair. Gippal murmured something to her, and she lifted her head to look at him. He looked guilty for some reason. Then she realized he thought this was his fault.

"Don't you dare say you're sorry Gippal! It's not your fault he's acting like a cave-man." He opened his mouth to argue, but she cut him off. "I mean it. I won't have you blaming yourself for someone else's actions!"

"Girl's got a point, boss-man. Cid just doesn't want to loose his daughter." Raas said from his chair. Gippal turned to glare at him. With out the eye patch, the scarred eye made him look sinister. Raas held his hands up, saying "I'm not saying he had a right to act like he did. I'm just telling you the reason."

"Well, saying hurtful things to me isn't going to endear him any." Rikku said bitterly. Gippal turned his attention back to her, his eyes full of concern.

"I can't believe Cid said that to you. How could he say that about his own daughter?" Gippal said the past part to himself. Rikku laid her head on his chest again. She did not want to cry in front of him and Raas. "Come on. Let's get out of here. We can get breakfast, like you wanted."

"I'm not hungry anymore."

Both Gippal and Raas stared at her in surprise. Rikku not being hungry was like the sun being out but not shining. It just was not natural for her to lose her appetite over anything. Even after the encounter with Vegnagun, Rikku had been ready for a feast. It was a sign of how upset she really was about the incident with Cid.

"Well, let's go somewhere anyway. Plaazt?" Gippal turned to look at the man next to the window. He stepped forward, awaiting orders. "See about fixing this door, would you? I'll be back later."

"Sure thing."

"Plaazt?" This time Rikku said his name. He turned to look at her apprehensively. "Thanks for trying to warn us." Plaazt grinned and rubbed the back of his neck.

"I thought it would be a good idea. If anything happened to my boss, who would give me a paycheck?"

It was an attempt to lighten the mood, and it made Rikku smile at him instead of frown. Everyone left the room, heading downstairs so that they could leave. In the lobby, Raas retrieved his rain coat from the floor, giving Mr. Helpful an apology for leaving it there. Gippal went over to the desk Mr. Helpful was behind and asked for two rain coats. The man nodded and retrieved the items. Gippal handed one to Rikku, which she put on, grateful that she would not have to get wet again. Almost like an after-thought, Gippal went back to the desk and gave Mr. Helpful a large handful of gil. "For the trouble." he said, and walked away, donning the raincoat. Raas smiled to himself and nodded. "You ready?" he asked Rikku. She nodded and pulled the hood over her head.

The group walked out and headed in the direction of the Sun Rose unanimously. They went quickly, because the rain was cold and the wind whipped it around at all angles, sending cold drips down their necks and legs. When the Sun Rose came into view, everyone was happily thinking about being warm and dry. Upon entering, Elizza greeted them warmly and helped remove rain coats and hang them up to dry. The smell of baking cookies permeated the air, causing stomachs to rumble. _Maybe I'm hungry after all. Better eat something before my stomach eats my other internal organs._

Elizza noticed the sad aura of the group, especially Rikku. She knew the best way to cheer people up was with food. "I have some cookies in the oven that will be ready soon, and I'll make us a nice breakfast."

"I'm going to change. Be right back." Rikku headed toward the stairs, letting her fingers slide out of Gippal's hand. She knew he watched her and turned to smile slightly at him. He was apparently still feeling guilty about earlier. _I'm going to have to find a way to make him stop that. Might end up being fun! _He smiled back, and turned to go into the kitchen with the others. Rikku opened her door, entered the bathroom, turned on the faucet and commenced crying her eyes out. It felt good to cry, like all the bad feelings were washed away with the tears.

She did not cry long. She had never been one for a sob-fest, even when little. Rikku splashed water on her face and quickly changed clothes. Elizza's dress was put on the vanity bench to keep it safe. She grabbed a sweatshirt before leaving her room, hoping her eyes were not to red and puffy. Pulling the sweatshirt over her head, she headed down the stairs and stopped at the kitchen door. Raas, Elizza and Gippal were talking, so Rikku decided to eavesdrop a little.

"What a dreadful thing to say! And to your own daughter! If that man were here I'd give him a piece of my mind! No wonder poor Rikku looked so upset." Elizza said between the noises of food preparation.

"Tell me about it. You didn't see her face when he said it."

"Hey, cheer up boss-man. It wasn't your fault." Raas said with what Rikku thought was a slap on the back.

"I know, but it just feels like it is."

"It's not. Did you hear her blaming you? I didn't. She's not one to let her opinion go unknown."

"Yeah, I know." Gippal said. "Why couldn't he be like a normal father and threaten me with castration or something? At least Rikku wouldn't be up there crying right now."

"Oh, is she? I wonder if I should check on her, poor dear..."

"No, let her be. She doesn't like anyone to see her cry." This was Gippal again. Rikku smiled to herself. She was glad he knew her so well to give her time alone to cry. There was silence for a few minutes, and Rikku was about to enter when Raas started talking again.

"Listen, since Cid didn't give you this, I will. Don't go hurting her. She's very dear to us, and I don't want to see her crying because of you. I'll nail you hide to my front door if you do."

Gippal laughed heartily. "Give me some credit, Raas. I've been in love with her since I was seven. I'm not about to hurt her in any way, shape or form." Rikku had to suppress a squeal of delight. He was probably joking, but it was wonderful to hear him say that anyway.

"Raas! Don't go threatening our guest like that! You'll make him lose his appetite."

"Come on, Elizza. I can't just let him take Rikku away without some kind of threat!" Raas said with a laugh. Rikku decided to walk in then and save Gippal some teasing. They all looked at her when she entered. Elizza came up to her and put a gentle arm around her shoulder, leading her to the table. Gippal just smiled, so did Raas. Rikku frowned playfully at Raas.

"What's this about threatening Gippal?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest. Raas grinned and shook his head, while Gippal just smiled and patted the chair next to him. She sat down, but continued frowning at Raas.

"I'm playing 'over-protective-father-figure'. Can't be helped, so stop pretending to frown like that."

Rikku dropped the frown and smiled instead. The smile grew when a plate of cookies presented itself in front of her and her over-sized mug was put next to it, full of hot, black coffee. The sugar had even been added to her satisfaction. Rikku sipped it and sighed happily. She grabbed a cookie and dunked it into her coffee, waiting for it to get nice and soggy before eating it.

"What, no sugar Rikku?" Gippal asked. She smiled at him and shook her head.

"Nope. Elizza puts just the right amount in for me." The cookie was now in peak soggy condition and ready to eat. There is an art to eating soggy cookies that must be learned. The cookie must be soggy, but not too soggy. It will just break off in the coffee or milk. If it is taken out too soon, there will be a crunch between the soggy parts and that ruins the whole point of cookie dunking. Actually getting the entire cookie into ones mouth is another thing. If one takes it out too fast, it will break, and the angle to the mouth must be just right. Unless one likes soggy cookies in ones lap. Rikku was adept at soggy-cookie eating. The entire cookie made it into her mouth without even dripping coffee on the table or her lap.

"Don't fill up on cookies, dear. Pancakes are on their way to the table in a few minutes." Elizza said from the stove.

"Ooo, pancakes." Rikku looked at the cookies and sighed. Eating more cookies would not leave room for the pancakes. So she diverted her attention to Gippal. She remembered him talking earlier and smiled brilliantly at him. He smiled also and sipped his own coffee.

"I wonder who Pop had spying on me to know where I was last night." she said, breaking the contented quiet.

"Maybe nobody, girl. He was just getting off a boat at he docks when I saw him first. He was as happy as he ever is. I think someone said it in passing, or he over heard it." Rikku snorted at the 'overheard' part.

"How could he overhear about us? We haven't been together that long." she said, frowning again.

"I think you caused quite a stir, showing up in front of my workers in a dress. Maybe that gave birth to a rumor. Not that it was started to be malicious." Gippal took another sip of coffee.

"Boss-man's right. I think he just heard about it and went to find Gippal. He didn't expect to find his little girl there."

"I'm not a little girl, Raas." she said firmly.

"I know that, but Cid still sees you as seven years old. He doesn't want to lose you to another man. Can't blame him for that, but his behavior was awful. It's like you're all he has left of his wife too. You really look exactly like her. Just more troublesome."

Rikku smiled at being called troublesome. It was so true about her. She also smiled at being compared to her mother. She had been such a pretty woman, all well mannered and feminine. It was Rikku's secret aspirations to be like her mother. She knew it was not possible, her personality was too wild; but she could be like her for a short amount of time. Like at the restaurant, where manners were expected.

"I'm not that much like her." was all she said in response.

"You're more like her than you think, girl. You didn't see all the trouble she gave her parents when she was young. She tried to keep a drake as a pet once." Everyone laughed out loud, Rikku especially, since she had wanted to try that too but Brother had stopped her.

Elizza was moving to and fro between the stove and the table. She waved off Gippal's offer to help ferry the food. She stopped for a moment, and took Gippal's head in her hands and turned it so he was looking up at her.

"Whatever happened to your eye, dear?" Rikku and Gippal shared a look and grinned.

"An unfortunate accident with a machina." was all he said.

"Well, you have some incredible healers then. Usually such a wound would cause you to lose that eye." Elizza went back for the last plate of food.

The conversation stopped when breakfast was served. Pancakes were piled high on the plates next to the bacon, which was still sizzling a bit. Fried potatoes sat next to the bacon. A full container of syrup was placed on the table, along with butter. Rikku dismissed the butter and grabbed the syrup first thing. She watched it ooze over the pancakes and mingle with the bacon. When it threatened to touch the fried potatoes she stopped. Potatoes and syrup did not mix well in her opinion.

"Are you going to same us some syrup, Rikku?" Gippal asked pointedly. Rikku smiled sweetly at him.

"No, I wasn't. Why, did you want some?"

"That would be nice. Dry pancakes aren't my favorite thing in the world."

"That's because _I'm _your favorite thing in the world, isn't it?"

"You bet. Now hand over the syrup." Rikku gave the syrup to him despite the insincerity in his voice. It was not right to keep people from eating. She was about to dig in to her pancakes when she noticed how much syrup Gippal was putting on his stack of pancakes. She turned a flat stare at him, which he grinned at.

"You're using as much as I did. Why'd you complain about how much I was using?"

"Because it would annoy you."

Rikku scowled at him, earning a snicker from Raas. "You be careful, Gippal. I'm armed!" She held up her fork like a toddler would, making everyone laugh again.

"I think that weapon would be of more use getting those pancakes in your stomach than in me. I don't want you to get grumpy because you're hungry. Besides, I don't want any holes in my hide. It would ruin Raas' front door decoration if I mess things up with you." He meant it as a joke, but he also meant for her to know that he would _let_ Raas hurt him if he hurt her. It made Rikku feel all bubbly inside. She leaned her head on his shoulder and fluttered her eyelashes at him.

"That is just soooo sweet to say! Say something else that's just as nice."

"Okay. Move your head before I drip syrup on your nose."

His fork was indeed perched above her head, with a drop of syrup ready to fall at any time. She quickly removed her head and began on her own breakfast. _This is nice. Why can't my real family be like this? _she thought. Rikku replayed her father's words in her head again, and decided that since Cid had all but disowned her, this would be her new family. If Brother could behave well enough, he could join too. She smiled at her now diminished stack of pancakes and started on the bacon.

**Sooooooooo, you all thought Cid was the one to break the door, didn't you? Hehe. I was going to do that, but decided to make Plaazt do it instead. And wasn't Cid mean?! That was such a horrible thing to say to Rikku! And wasn't it nice of Gippal to defend her? I wish I had a guy to do that for me...oh well. **

**Now, this is important. I can't decide between two ways of continuing this story. The basic plot will be the same, but the villains will be different. So, if you review this, pick either 1 or 2. 1) Cid is down right evil 2) someone else is down right evil and blames Cid. I might do what you want, I might not. It depends on my mood, but the input will help me decide what to do. Besides, the evilness won't happen for a chapter or two. So please let me know. **

**Thanks to all you people in reviewer-land! Writing this has helped me deal with this flu thing I have. Stay tuned for the next chapter!**

**tagg **


	12. It's Too Darn Hot er, Cold

**Ok sea monkeys! I am back and finally able to eat real food! Yay! I had such a wonderful breakfast. My father always makes me breakfast on Sunday's when I come to my parents house. Isn't that sweet? Unfortunately, my dogs get some of my bacon before I get to it. They are so spoiled.**

**Anywho, story time. You likes it so far? I hope so, cause I keep going over it and deciding what to do when I should be working or learning. My boss thinks I need more sleep or something, but I am just daydreaming. So, let's get started!**

**I don't own FFX-2, but if I did, I would buy the worlds supply of cookies and hoard them all! Mwahahahaha! (j/k. Of course I would share with nice reviewer-type people...) **

Chapter 10: It's too Darn Hot...er, Cold

It had been raining for five days straight and showed no signs of stopping any time soon. Everything was either wet or damp. Streets and the few gardens in Luca were all water logged. An unmistakable 'squish' sound followed people around when they came indoors. Every building had a mop ready at the door to clean up the water that got tracked in. Only a few determined people ventured outside for any reason. These poor souls ran, or tried to, to their destinations. It had also brought the influx of ships to a stand still. Most were stuck out at sea, fighting the waves and wind.

Rikku stood staring out of a window in the kitchen of the Sun Rose, frowning at the rain. There was not much to do on rainy days, for her anyway. Fortunately, Elizza kept her busy making food stuffs or helping with some housework. Chores were not her forte, but it was a safe way to expend her energy. So she dusted and polished away, Elizza right beside her the whole time. Between the two of them, the Sun Rose was squeaky clean. Rikku had become very defensive of the hardwood floors, seeing as she had put a new wax coating on them and they shone brilliantly. The only problem was that there was no more cleaning to do. Thus the reason she was staring out of a window in the kitchen.

She and Gippal made it a point to see each other everyday, if only for a little while. Rikku had a new appreciation for Gippal. He worked all day and most of the night, barely stopping to rest. He usually came to visit her; it was his way to make sure she did not go out into the rain unnecessarily. There would probably be no visit today, because one of the ships from Bikanel had docked last night and was being unloaded while she sat in comfortable warmth. Gippal was out with them, getting the boat emptied as fast as possible. He was not about to ask his workers to be out in the rain if he was not going to be out in it. Rikku felt sorry for him and the others out in the miserable weather. The rain had a way of creeping inside raincoats and the chill in the air sank into the bones.

Seeing that Gippal would be miserable all day, and probably be awake all night, Rikku was bringing him a surprise. She was waiting for it to finish cooking so that she could bring it to him. There was nothing better in the world when one is cold than something warm to eat. She had made a delicious stew, and fresh bread to go with it. Rikku was in all actuality a very good cook. She rarely had any reason to show off that particular talent so no one knew except her family.

She smiled, thinking about his expression when she gave him his surprise. He most likely had not eaten a real Home cooked meal in a long time. He was rarely at Djose Temple for very long and even there he usually forgot to eat. She made him have at least one meal a day with her, even if he said he was not hungry. He was always hungry, he just did not think about it to know it.

"Rikku, dear, this smells wonderful. Do you really think we needed this much though?" Rikku turned away from the dreary view and smiled at Elizza. She was stirring the pot, sniffing appreciatively.

"Yup yup. Raas will eat half of that pot when he gets home. It's kind of a treat for us Al Bhed. We never used to be able to sit and enjoy a meal, let alone make something that needs to cook for hours on end."

"Well, if there is any left, we can freeze it for some other time. Will you write down the recipe for me? Raas would love to have some again I dare say."

"Sure! Give me some paper. Although there aren't any precise measurements. Just a pinch of this, a double handful of that."

"That's not a problem, dear. Is it ready to eat, yet? I think my breakfast is wearing off." Elizza said with a laugh.

"Um, good question." Rikku had woken up early to start cooking so that it would be done by late afternoon. She had made the bread dough last night, so that it would have time to rise. "It should be. Let's find out!" She made her way over to the stove, and took a spoonful for a taste. "Yup! It's done. Dig in!"

While Elizza was sampling the stew, Rikku busied herself with filling a large thermos with the stew and getting a thin, heated brick from the oven to keep her bread warm. Now all she needed were some bowls and eating utensils. All the afore mentioned items found their way into a large, picnic style basket. Once assured that said basket would not let rain water in, Rikku was ready to leave. Elizza bid her farewell, adding a compliment for her cooking. Rikku grinned and left the kitchen feeling that she was the greatest person in the world, bringing her boyfriend a hot, home-made meal on a miserable, rainy day like this one.

After donning her rain coat, Rikku made her way to the docks, hoping that she was not too late to catch Gippal. As it happened, the boat had just been unloaded and the hovers were getting ready to leave for Djose Temple. All the people were headed somewhere warm and dry except for a few. One of these few, unsurprisingly, was Gippal. She made her way over to him, and found Raas talking with him while the last of the cargo was secured onto a hover. They were talking about the next boat to come and what was expected on it and yadda yadda yadda.

"Hey guys!" she said over the pitter patter of rain. They both turned to look at her and broke out in smiles. Being mostly soaked and cold, mustering a smile must have cost them a lot, but they did it anyway. She just had that effect on people.

"What brings you out in the cold rain? I was going to come see you after I got some actual dry clothes on." Gippal reached out his hand to stroke her cheek. It was cold enough to make her shiver. Why he was not shivering was beyond her knowledge. _I guess the cold really doesn't bother him. Good thing I came to warm him up! Hehe. _

"I brought you a present!"

"You could have waited you know."

"I know. I just wanted to do something nice." she said to him.

"Sooo, what'd you bring me? That's an awfully big basket you have there,"

"It's food. Hot food." She giggled as his eyes brightened. "I made it just for you!"

"How'd you know I was thinking about hot food? You turning psychic?"

"Noooo, I just know that you forgot to eat breakfast, like usual." Rikku turned to Raas and said "There's some for you too, back at the Sun Rose. I just couldn't carry anymore food; else my arm is going to fall off." Raas smiled and shook his head.

"What ever it is, I'm grateful for it. Man am I starved! See you kids later." He walked off towards his home, humming a song. Rikku started when Gippal grabbed the basket from her hands. She frowned at him, seeing that he only needed one hand to carry it while she needed two. The frown left when his other arm went around her waist, directing her to his inn.

After Gippal had changed into some dry clothes, they ate. Rikku enjoyed watching his face while he ate. The bread was the first part of the meal to go. Gippal loved bread, the fresher the better. He could eat entire loaves by himself without even thinking about it. Rikku did the same thing, of course, but she liked something with the bread more than just, well, bread. Gippal sighed when he realized there was still some sauce in the bowl and he had no more bread to sop it up with. Rikku laughed and pulled out another loaf. She tore it in half, giving him one piece while keeping the other.

"Oh, sure, you get the big half!" Gippal said playfully. Rikku snorted at him.

"Hey, I made it! You know how difficult it is to make this stuff? It takes, like, hours."

"I stand corrected then." he said, finishing his half in record time, even for Rikku. He got up and knelt down in front of her, his hands taking hers. "Thanks. You didn't have to do anything like that for me."

"Yes I did." she said, looking into his eye.

"I've got the best girlfriend in the world, you know that?" Rikku felt a silly grin tugging at her lips and a blush crept into her cheeks. They had only been together for about a week, but she always felt her insides turn to mush when Gippal complimented her. He made her feel like a lady, which she was not at all used to. True, there were the suggestive remarks and the teasing, but all in all he treated her with care and respect.

"You do, don't you?" Rikku was rewarded with a kiss for that remark. She made every excuse in the world for Gippal to kiss her, and he took advantage of each and every one. He had even made sure that no one would bother them when they were together unless it was a real emergency. Ever since the door-breaking incident, Plaazt had refrained from bothering them at all. He also took up some extra work, so that Gippal had the time to spend with her. It was not a lot of time, but it was time none the less. Plaazt had removed his name from Rikku's black list.

Gippal pulled her to her feet after the kiss ended. She frowned, thinking he had to go back to working again so soon. He called Plaazt on his comm unit, which squawked something back at him.

"Call me in one hour, and don't stop until I answer. Got It?" The comm unit squawked again, then fell silent as he removed it from his clothing. Rikku looked at him curiously, wondering what he was up to. Gippal placed the unit on the night stand and fell onto the bed with a huge sigh. He looked up to see her still staring at him, and with a smirk he patted the bed to his right. It was all the invitation she needed. Rikku jumped over his body, landing on the mattress beside him and making the bed bounce. She snuggled next to him, ready to take a nap. This was beginning to be a tradition for them. Whenever Gippal had come to the Sun Rose, Rikku made him eat something and take a nap with her. She knew he needed more sleep than he got, and for some reason he easily fell asleep next to her. She had no complaint about taking naps, especially with Gippal with her. He was like her own man-shaped furnace, ready and willing to keep her warm at all times.

Before sleep over took them, Gippal wrapped a blanket around the both of them. The rain made it feel colder than it really was. He would wake up with kisses and cuddles for her, then fill her ears with sweet words or dirty jokes. It all depended on what tickled his fancy. Sometimes she got both, if he stayed warm enough. Seeing that she made sure he was close to her at all times insured this behavior. He probably knew she was doing it on purpose; he just enjoyed it too much to say anything.

It seemed that they had only just fallen asleep when Gippal's comm unit started squawking at them, insisting that they wake up. Gippal stirred and opened his eyes in annoyance. He grabbed the unit and threw it across the room so that it landed under the dresser, muffling the sounds it made. Rikku smiled sleepily, and they both closed their eyes again. Only the comm unit would not be silent. It had been making noise for five minutes before Gippal groaned and got off the bed to answer the thing.

"Why do you have to obey orders so well?" he said

"Because you pay me too much not to."

"Good point. I'm deducting your pay. Now lemme go back to sleep." A huge yawn punctuated his words.

"Nice try, Gippal." Plaazt said. Gippal mumbled something and turned the unit off. Rikku had sat up to watch the little scene with an amused expression on her face. Gippal came back to the bed and sat down on it, rubbing his face. She crawled over to him and started massaging his back. He sighed; Rikku could feel the knots in his muscles and was over come with pity. Being that tense was painful and uncomfortable. She tried to get the worst knots out before he went back the insidious thing called 'work'.

"Keep doing that and I'll go to sleep sitting up." he said tiredly. The poor man sounded and looked exhausted.

"And that's a bad thing? You need to sleep." Rikku worked her way down his back and heard him sigh again. "My poor Gippal. You want me to save you again tonight?"

"I don't think I have the energy to go out for dinner, baby."

"Not dinner, silly! I'll give you a real massage. You'll like it. I'll even bring something to eat if you want." Rikku had wrapped her arms around his neck and her chin was resting on his shoulder. She could sense his smile, and knew she had won. "I'll come back later, so don't count on being up late tonight. I want to sleep too, you know."

"Are you spending the night again? I might just decide to have my way with you instead of getting a massage." Gippal leaned back, making Rikku support his weight. He looked at her from upside-down, making her giggle. "I'm serious." Gippal said, turning around and pushing her onto the bed. She let him do it; it gave her an intense rush to be submissive to him. That was odd because she was not at all submissive in anything she did in life.

"Can't we do both?" she asked seriously. He laughed softly and brushed an errant strand of hair away from her face. Rikku closed her eyes at his touch, reveling in the warmth it brought to life within her. She lifted her head slightly, eyes still closed, and met him half way in a kiss. It was not the 'I-want-you-now' kind of kiss, nor was it just a brush on the lips. It was more like an 'I-want-you-but-I'll-savor-you-later' kind of kiss.

Unfortunately, it had to end. Lack of oxygen will make one end, along with a stampede of cattle. Gippal looked down at her for several minutes, stroking her hair. He liked her hair down for some reason. All men seemed to like women's hair to be down and long. She had it up in a ponytail today, so there would be no fingers running through her hair. She would let him do that later tonight.

"Why do I have to be such a gentleman for you, Rikku? It's driving me crazy." Rikku grinned up at him, holding his eyes with hers.

"Because you know I'm worth it."

"Yes you are. Most definitely worth it. Although I don't know how much longer I can keep it up." he said with a smirk.

"I'll do everything in my power to make you crazy for me, so don't worry."

"You already do that. Quite well, I might add." He kissed her again, this time briefly. She knew he had to go, but was not willing to let him go yet. When he tried to get up, she held onto his neck, stopping the movement. After chuckling at her, Gippal picked her up bodily from the bed and carried her to the door. Rikku sighed and pouted at him. She wanted to spend more time with him. "Don't pout at me like that. The sooner I get all this done the sooner I get to spend all the time I can with you."

"Really? You promise?" she said, still pouting slightly. She always received more kisses when she pouted at him. He just could not resist it. Rikku never used it to get anything more than a kiss, which might explain why it worked so well on him.

"Yes, I promise. Now let's get you out of here so that I can concentrate." He put her on her feet lightly, kissed her, and opened the door. He was carrying her basket for her, so she took her sweet time going down the stairs after him. Gippal gave her an annoyed look at the slow pace she made because he was holding her hand and had to stop every other step to keep his grasp on it. Rikku smiled happily at him, glad of the delay tactic.

Sadly, the lobby was reached and her rain coat put on. Gippal transferred the basket to her, which was much lighter without the food, and kissed her good-bye. He watched her walking away, so she turned and waved.

"See you later, love-muffin!" She blew him a kiss, and he pretended to stagger backwards from the force of it. It made her laugh. Humming while she walked back to the Sun Rose, Rikku thought of all the wonderful ways to drive Gippal crazy. It would be so much fun, teasing him. She was more than willing to make love to him; Gippal was just trying to be a gentleman instead of a horn-dog. He was so sweet to her.

Rikku passed a shop near her destination, and she backtracked to look in the window again. A moment later she entered the shop and purchased several items, including a very nice set of massage oils and a few candles. Romantic lighting would not hurt anything. It might even help a little. With the purchases safely in the basket she headed to the Sun Rose.

**Later that night...**

Rikku had run all the way to Gippal's inn. Night made the weather even worse. It was cold, and the rain was falling sideways so that she got soaked from the legs down. No one was out on the streets. The city was eerily silent and felt empty. Most businesses were closed, even the bars. It cost more to keep them open than they got in revenues. Rikku was very glad when she came in sight of the inn. It would be so wonderful to be warm again. She entered the inn and nodded to Mr. Helpful at the desk. She did not particularly like the man, but it was rude to ignore him.

Rikku went right to the double doors of the room the Machine Faction were using. The lights were on and voices could be heard talking about this and that. Rikku opened the door quietly and went in. There were only three people inside. Gippal, Plaazt and a woman who was working on some kind of diagram. Gippal looked up at her entrance and gave her a tired smile.

"Is it that late already?" he asked, getting up from his chair.

"Yes it is." She took his hand and led him out the doors. "Lets go upstairs." Gippal followed without a fight. He poked the bag that hung over her shoulder, silently asking what was inside. "Stuff." was all she said, leaving the contents a mystery. He unlocked his door and promptly re-locked it after they entered. "Are you locking me in Gippal?"

"You better believe it. I'm keeping you here all night."

"Hehe. As if I'd leave. Now you go take a nice hot shower. It'll help loosen those muscles of yours." Gippal complied, taking something out of a drawer before entering the bathroom. Rikku waited until the shower was turned on to open her bag. The first thing she did was get out of her wet clothing. _I seem to have a habit of taking my clothes off around Gippal. _She put on her pajamas, which consisted of a cami and panties. Not the warmest of things to wear, but it was what she always wore to bed. Gippal had snuck into her room to scare her awake back Home enough times to know what she wore to sleep in. It was just too bad if he forgot.

She placed the candles on the dresser and lit them. The massage oils came out next. These she set on the night stand. She would have put the candles nearer the bed but oil and fire did not mix well. Rikku unmade the bed, pulling the covers over to one side. Gippal came out of the bathroom just as she hopped on the bed.

"Please tell me you're not wearing that to bed."

"I am. Why? Is there something wrong with them?" Rikku looked down at herself, trying to see if there was something on her pajamas. Gippal shook his head and closed his eyes. She patted the bed where the covers had been removed. "Come on. Lie down." He did so, groaning as he lowered himself down onto his stomach. Once he was comfortable, relatively, Rikku straddled his torso, sitting on his legs. He shifted to look at her, but subsided when she glared at him. Grabbing one of the bottles of oil she set to work.

"OUCH! What do you have back there, a knife?" Gippal complained, grimacing.

"No. Try to relax, ok?" she replied.

"Relax? You're sitting on me mostly naked while I'm wearing boxers running your hands over my body. How am I supposed to relax?"

"Think about something else, then."

"That's not -ouch- as easy as you think, baby."

"Well, you could think about what you're going to do to me when I get done..."

Rikku laughed when he hit the pillow repeatedly with his head. She found another knotted muscle and proceeded to work it out, causing Gippal to hiss and complain once again. Once all the knots were out, she really set to work. Just because he was no longer in pain did not mean he was relaxed.

"What in the world do you do to get this tense? Wrestle with a gug?" she said pouring more of the vanilla scented oil on her palm. She started at his neck and shoulders, using gentle pressure to convince the muscles to relax completely. Now that the painful part was over Gippal was enjoying himself.

"It's not like I do it on purpose. I never get a chance to relax." He was mumbling half into the pillow.

"You'll just have to make time for me to help you relax, won't you?" she said with a smirk that her voice reflected. He turned to look at her again, this time with narrowed eyes. "What?" He laid his head back down in silence.

"You are a little minx, you know that?"

"How so, Luscious?"

"The only way you could make this more difficult for me is to be naked." he mumbled again.

"That can be arranged." Rikku replied seriously. He said something into the pillow she could not quite catch. A smile played on her face with her victory.

"And you would be underneath me with your legs wrapped around my waist." he said, just as seriously. That image made her quite happy. She had actually finished her massage by now. He did not know that, so she kept going. Eventually, she had to stop; her hands were tired. Letting out a small sigh she got off his legs and sat on the bed beside him. Gippal was looking at her. Just looking; there was no smirk or grin on his face.

"What? Didn't you like it?" she asked worriedly. Barkeep, who had taught her, said she was a natural. She could not imagine that she had done something wrong. A slow smile spread on his face and he put a hand on her waist. She thought she was just going to be pulled down, but found herself quickly flipped onto her stomach.

"Your turn, Honey-lips." Gippal took the bottle of oil from the night stand and put some on his hands. Rikku stared at him with an eyebrow raised. "Come on. Off with the shirt. I'll be good, I promise." She kept the eyebrow raised but did as she was told.

"I thought you were trying to avoid this situation Gippal."

"I said I'd be a good boy. Don't worry." She could just picture the grin on his face.

"You are not boy, and you are definitely not a good one."

"True, true. That doesn't mean I can't be nice to my girl, does it?"

"Anything to get your hands on me." Gippal's answer was to start rubbing her back. He had strong hands, but he made sure to be gentle. Rikku smiled and felt herself relax deeply. The skin on her back was extremely sensitive, so a gentle massage like the one she was getting now was stimulating as well as relaxing. She could feel exactly where his hands were going to go before they go there. Her skin twitched slightly when he ran just his fingertips down her spine. "Hey, stop that. It kinda tickles."

"So sorry." He said, removing his hands from her body. Frowning a bit, Rikku went to reach for her top but could not find it. She looked to both sides of herself but to no avail.

"Where's my shirt?"

"Um...somewhere in the general vicinity of the dresser I think."

"Why'd you throw it over there?"

"Because you're not putting it back on."

Before she could react, Rikku found herself flipped on her back and in the receiving end of the most passionate kiss Spira had ever witnessed.

**Soooooooooooooo, wasn't it evil of me to end it there? Hehe. You'll just have to wait for the next chapter to find out what happens! I wonder if they will be interrupted? Hmmm... Anywho, I hope you likes it! Please r&r! **

**Thank you to all the reviewers who read my story. It brightens my day to get such wonderful reviews!**


	13. Dancing on Sunshine

**Hi there sea monkeys! Suspense sucks, doesn't it? Hehe. Let's see, let's see, what will happen next... Get your minds out of the gutter! What do you think this is, a porno? J/k. While I COULD go into detail, I don't think I should. Although it would be fun to use the word bosom. You just don't see or hear that word a lot. **

**Ok, so, let's find out what happened last night. They were in bed and mostly naked, so it doesn't take a genius to figure out what went on. **

**I don't own FFX-2, but if I did, I would start my own apple juice company!**

Chapter 11: Dancing on Sunshine

Rikku woke up feeling very comfortable. She was under several layers of bed linens and next to a warm body. The body in question belonged to Gippal; as did the arm over her torso and the leg over her own leg. She opened her eyes to find him sleeping on his stomach with his face turned toward hers. He looked so peaceful laying there. No one would have guessed that he had spent most of the night making love to her. Rikku smiled as she replayed the events of last night.

Gippal was a surprisingly gentle lover. Even in the throws of passion, he had been gentle. He was much stronger than he looked and he knew it. Rikku had an inkling that he was gentle just for her. All the rumors said he was beyond wild in bed, which was half the reason women went after him. He _was_ wild, but a controlled wild. He had done his utmost to please her, too. She sighed and closed her eyes, willing the day not to start so that she could be in a permanent state of bliss.

She probably could have laid there for a long time with out moving, but Gippal's comm unit started beeping. Rikku growled under her breath, vowing that whoever was on the other end was dead meat. Just before she would have thrown back the covers to rudely answer the beeping monstrosity, Gippal woke up. He blinked sleepily at her and looked around for the annoying sound that woke him up.

"Can I kill the person calling you this early in the morning?" She sounded as grumpy as she felt. It was very rude to call anyone before they have had a good breakfast. Otherwise the reception of the call would be unpleasant. She heard Gippal laugh at her, and felt him move her closer to him with the arm already around her middle and fumble for the comm unit he had put in a drawer of the night stand with the other. Rikku decided to distract him with kisses. This impeded his discovery of the still beeping unit. He eventually found it and answered.

"This had better be good..." he said. Gippal did not sound happy, and the person on the other end hesitated before responding.

"Uh, well, you see...the other boat just docked. You said you wanted to know as soon as it got here."

"Fine. You've told me. I'll be there soon." With that he turned the unit off and turned his attention back to Rikku. "It had to dock now of all times." Rikku smiled a little smile at him.

"You could always let them handle it and stay here with me."

"I could. But I wouldn't be able to give you my undivided attention. I'd be feeling too guilty about them working in this crummy weather while I'm having the time of my life in bed with a beautiful woman." Rikku reluctantly agreed to this logic. That did not make her happy though.

"They still could have waited an hour or two."

"Greedy and selfish, that's what you are."

"Can you blame me, love-muffin?"

"No." Gippal said as lifted himself up onto his elbows, arms on either side of her body. "Believe me, baby, if I could stay here I would. If I can wrap things up quickly, by tomorrow I'll have all the time in the world. We can spend tomorrow in bed if all goes well." Rikku wrapped her arms around his neck to think about the proposition. It would mean waiting until tomorrow to see him again. On the other hand she would have him for the entire day. Making sacrifices is such a difficult thing to do.

"Oh alright. As long as I get you for the whole day." She got a smile from him followed by a kiss. Rikku tried to keep him there for as long as possible. Gippal made no move to get out of bed, so she figured his presence was not needed immediately. That was until someone started knocking on the door. "You need a new inn, Gippal. We keep getting interruptions here."

"I agree. Now let me deal with Plaazt before you strangle him." He got out of bed despite her attempts to keep him there. Pouting and snuggling back under the covers, she waited there while Gippal talked through a small gap in the door. He sounded annoyed and ended the conversation quickly. Walking back to her, Gippal pulled the covers off, making her yelp at the cold air. A very silly grin was on his face and Rikku gave him a withering look.

"You big meanie! Now I'm all cold."

"Well I'll just have to warm you up then, won't I?" She brightened at this and happily fell victim to his ministrations. She warmed up rather quickly. Everywhere his hands touched her felt like fire against her skin. His kisses were desperate, as were hers. When he entered her, she threw her head back and moaned softly. "Fayth, I'm glad no one had you before me." Rikku lowered her head to be kissed again.

"So am I. But wouldn't you have more fun if-"

"No. Not at all." Gippal stopped her from talking with his tongue in her mouth. Rikku could feel her body tense up already. His body was tense as well. She wanted a release from the tension, but not so soon. Not that she had much choice in the matter. He was driving her ever closer to the edge. Instead of giving in, Rikku wrapped her legs around his waist, making _him_ moan.

"Stop holding back, baby. I can't hold out much longer." he said into her neck. She laughed; delighted that he found such pleasure with her. The laugh turned into another moan as he arched her back slightly. There was no holding back now. Rikku was happy to note that they climaxed together. She did not know that until after the fact, but that hardly mattered.

"Do you really have to go?" she asked breathlessly. Gippal rolled off of her and held her close.

"Unfortunately, yes. Things will go faster if I help out." His fingers were playing with her hair. He had unbound it last night and tangled his hands in it while making love to her. "Although you could take a shower with me. What do you say?"

"I say you won't be leaving this room any time soon. Go on. I'll get one at the Sun Rose."

Gippal obeyed, though he gave her the offer a second time. As tempting as it was, she declined. If he had to leave, he had to leave. She made herself comfortable under the covers again. Gippal looked as if he was going to change his mind, then walked into the bathroom. Rikku only stayed there for a few minutes. Deciding to make things easy on him, she got dressed. She rescued her pajamas from the floor and the blankets. The candles had burned themselves out and were tiny stubs of their former glory. They made their way into the trash can. Once everything was back in her bag, Rikku grabbed the massage oils and put them in a separate bag. There is nothing quite as lovely as oil on fabric. She liked the still-damp jeans she wore yesterday a lot, and did not want to ruin them.

By the time Gippal came out, she was putting her hair back in a pony tail. She got a kiss on the cheek and one on the neck; then he got dressed as well. Rikku found arms wrapped around her waist and a solid body holding her close. She turned her head and gave him a sideways smile.

"I like your hair down."

"Then _you're _going to be the one to untangle and brush and wash and condition it everyday."

"It would be my pleasure." Rikku knew there was a silly grin plastered on her face at those words. Before she blushed she saw a similar one on Gippal's face. She giggled and leaned against him.

"Shouldn't you be leaving or something?"

"Probably. I should have left a while ago."

"And why didn't you?" She asked like she did not already know.

"Because of you, _so raynd_." Warm fuzzy-ness filled her to the brim. She was positively bursting with joy.

"I like that. Say it again." Gippal chuckled in her ear and kissed her hair.

"_So raynd_."

Someone knocked on the door again, spoiling the moment. Rikku glared at the mirror and strode to the door, yanking it open. Plaazt was there, hand held up to knock again, looking shocked at seeing her instead of Gippal open the door. The man became increasingly uncomfortable under her gaze. Lucky for him Gippal came to the rescue. He had Rikku's bag in hand and a set of keys in another. He gave Plaazt a grin and placed a hand on Rikku's back, gently pushing her out the door. After locking it, he found that Plaazt had disappeared. Rikku was standing there with her hands clasped behind her back.

"You can be really scary, Rikku. Poor Plaazt doesn't know if he's coming or going."

Before she could answer, a man emerged from the room on the right of Gippal's. He glared at the couple and then stalked down the stairs with a stiff back. Rikku stuck her tongue out at his back.

"Gee, I wonder what his problem is." Gippal asked.

"He's just jealous that he wasn't making someone moan and cry out his name all night. That's all." she replied. He hugged her tightly after her comment.

"Do you have any idea how much you just inflated my ego?"

"Well, you deserve it. Maybe your new pet name will be 'Big Guy'." Gippal laughed and kissed her. She was really hoping that he would change his mind and decide to stay with her.

"Let's see how many complaints we have for last night, shall we?" Rikku laughed out loud.

"I bet there's a lot!"

Making their way down to the lobby, bets were made on how many complaints were waiting. Rikku said less than five. Gippal said more than five. They never found out. Upon entering the lobby, Mr. Helpful was holding a broom like a bat, ready to hit a small furry creature that sat shivering near the door. Rikku ran up to him and held onto the broom, preventing it from hitting the animal. He turned an angry face to her, outraged that someone had stopped him. Rikku yanked it out of his hands and shoved him out of her way. She knelt down in front of the animal, and spoke in a coaxing voice. Eventually, the water sodden creature revealed that it was a cat by mewing pathetically and then jumping into her arms. She held the little thing against her, sharing her body warmth.

"How could you be so mean? It's just a kitten!" The vehemence in her voice startled even her. The little kitten tried to burrow under her clothes. Rikku immediately felt protective of the poor thing. It was mewing for its mother, but Rikku was all it found. So it decided to take her as a surrogate mother. "Don't you worry, kitty. I won't let that mean man hurt you."

"That mangy animal has no business here." Mr. Helpful said, his voice carefully controlled.

"She not mangy! She's wet. There's a difference."

Gippal stepped in, trying to smooth the situation out. Rikku let him. She busied herself with the kitten. After a moments thought, Rikku went to Gippal and pulled a shirt out of her bag to dry the kitten off with. It responded by purring at an amazing volume for such a small cat. She kept on talking to it, calming it with her voice. She did not want to get clawed, after all. When Gippal touched her shoulder, she took it as a sign to leave. Rikku managed to get her rain coat on without letting go of the kitten. Gippal followed her out into the rainy morning.

The rain was still coming down, but no where near what it had been for the past week. It seemed the weather had decided to clear up. Now Luca could come back to life. The sky had changed color to a light gray instead of charcoal. Rikku was only happy about this for a minute or two. She turned to Gippal, not quite meeting his eyes.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to make a scene like that. It's just-"

"Why are you sorry? That idiot could have really hurt her." Rikku had put the kitten under her coat and next to her chest. Now it had poked its head out of the neck of the coat. Gippal caressed it with a finger, earning a purr from the kitten. It wasn't as loud as the purr Rikku got though. "He's lucky he still has a job."

"So, you're not mad?" she asked hopefully.

"You're odd, you know that? You just saved a kitten and you think I'm mad at you?" He pulled her to a stop under an awning. "Baby, it takes a lot to get me mad. And even if I was mad, I couldn't stay that way for long. Not at you." The warm fuzzy-ness came back full force, and Rikku felt herself blush. She changed the subject quickly so she could stop turning red.

"Will you be careful at the docks? Don't stand under a crane or anything. I'd hate for you to be crushed."

"Concerned, baby? I feel loved." Rikku blushed again and looked at the sidewalk. She felt a hand under her chin that lifted it up to face Gippal. "Rikku, I'll be careful, I promise. People tend not to worry about me, so thank you." The statement was punctuated with a kiss.

"You're welcome." The kitten encased in Rikku's rain coat mewed, causing both of them to look at her. "I know you're still cold and hungry." She turned back to Gippal and kissed him on the cheek. She had to stand on tip toes to do it. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow. Don't work too hard, okay?"

"And here I was hoping to earn another massage from you. Oh well. See you later, _so raynd_."

Rikku watched him walk away and sighed. She looked down at the bundle of warmth against her chest and found the kitten looking at her. "Isn't he great, kitty? I'm sooooo happy I have him all to myself!" The kitten purred in agreement. "Come on. Let's get you to a vet. We need to make sure you're healthy, don't we?" Rikku continued to talk to her new kitten all the way to the veterinarian's office. When she entered, no one was in the waiting room, human or animal. Even the front desk was empty. She rang a bell that was sitting in the counter, hoping to find someone. A woman emerged from a door behind the counter. She looked surprised to find anyone in the office.

"May I help you?" she asked kindly.

"Yes." Rikku unbuttoned her coat and revealed the kitten, still trying to burrow under her clothes. "I found this little girl outside and I just didn't have the heart to leave her there. Can somebody give her a check up or something?"

"Of course. Not many people have been braving the weather recently, so we're pretty much open. Bring her on back." The woman led the way to an examining room. It was empty. Rikku was told to wait for a few minutes for the vet to come in. She was looking around the room, noting all the gorily detailed pictures when he entered. He was an older man, with a gentle face and demeanor. She surrendered the kitten, who protested loudly at being separated from Rikku. A multitude of tests and examinations ensued, all giving her kitten a clean bill of health.

"She doesn't even have many fleas. We'll give her a flea dip, and get her nice and dry. Then you can take her home. She is yours, correct?"

"Yup yup! Poor little thing loves me already, don't you?" The kitten mewed and tried to get back to Rikku. The vet took her away for her flea dip, and she came back looking very upset, but clean and dry. She immediately leapt into Rikku's arms. "Did you miss me, kitty? I've got to give you a name, huh?" She thought about what to call her kitten as she walked up to the front desk. There the same woman from before collected the fees, and suggested a list of things for the cat. Rikku agreed to all of it and purchased them as well.

"What did you name her?"

"Um..." she bit her lower lip, thinking. "I'll call her _So Muja_."

"That sounds pretty. Does it mean anything in Al Bhed?"

"My Love. It seems I've found My Love and my love all in the same week." She snuggled the cat again and somehow managed to balance all the heavy and awkward bags and the kitten safely all the way back to the Sun Rose. Elizza was delighted to have _So Muja_ in her home, much to Rikku's relief. Once all the cat-things were sorted and put out, Rikku took her cat up to her room, so that she could get a shower. Setting _So Muja_ on the bed, she went to take a hot shower. Emerging from the steamy bathroom, Rikku found the kitten still lying where she had left her.

"You can move around, you know. Just make sure to use the litter box, okay?" A mew signaled her agreement, and they both went downstairs for breakfast.

After eating what was probably her first decent meal ever, _So Muja_ curled up for a nap in Rikku's lap. Rikku stroked the little cat, talking to Elizza about how she had found her new pet. She glanced out the window to frown at the rain, only to find it non-existent. The winds still whipped everything in sight, but the biting cold rain had stopped.

"The sun should come out of hiding soon, I think. Would you like some more tea, dear?" Elizza asked, already filling Rikku's cup.

"I hope so. I'm sick of rain. And cold. Yucky combination, that." Rikku replied, sipping her tea. Tea with Elizza was the only time Rikku drank tea. Any where else, it was coffee. Ah, coffee, the drink of the gods. There is nothing like it in the world.

Eventually, Rikku retreated to her room, _So Muja_ trailing along behind her. She pulled her portable Commsphere out and dialed Yuna's number. Her cousin was ecstatic to hear from her. Yuna got her first glimpse of _So Muja_ when the kitten walked up the Commsphere and batted it with a paw. Both of them were gushing about how cute she was. Then they gushed about their respective men. They talked for hours about the insignificant things that made boyfriends a great thing to have. Rikku called the conversation to a halt when the rumbles emanating from her stomach over came her voice.

"Sorry, Yunie. Hunger strikes! I'll call again, I promise."

"Alright, Rikku. It was great hearing from you. Wait until I tell Tidus you have a boyfriend!" Yuna giggled. "I wonder if he'll try to threaten Gippal." Rikku groaned.

"Tell him not too, please. He's had enough trouble because of me already."

"What do you mean?"

Rikku related what had transpired with Cid, feeling the unhappy thoughts fill her mind again. _So Muja_ purred and rubbed her head against Rikku's cheek, like she was trying to comfort her. Rikku smiled at the kitten, scratching its neck.

"I can't believe Uncle Cid would do such a thing! Wait until I see him again, he'll be sorry."

"Don't worry about it, Yunie. He won't bother us again. Even if he did, I wouldn't change my mind; he knows that. And there is no way I'm going to let him ruin my relationship with Gippal."

"Good for you, Rikku. You take care now, and eat something before you die of hunger!"

"If you insist! Hehe. Talk to you later. Byes!" The sphere was turned off quickly and Rikku jumped off the bed. The kitten followed her out of the room, knowing that food would appear when a certain room was entered. She also knew that naps could be taken anytime and anywhere she liked. It was so different from being Outside. This place was safe, and her person was nice. No one yelled or tried to hit her. The other people her person talked to a lot were nice too. The one in the food-room was kind, and the man her person was mated to was kind as well. He did not act or smell like the one with the big stick. That one was scary. She did not want her person to go near him again. Also, she could smell another man here; this one smelled good, so she was not worried. Life was good.

She even liked the name her person had given her, _So Muja_. She knew it was her name, so she responded to it. She had never had a name before. Cats knew each other by smell, not names. People did not seem able to do this, so she figured names were the next best thing. Her person led the way to the food-room, and spoke to Kind One. After a moment, food appeared for her person, Mother. Mother then got food for her, and placed it in a bowl on the floor next to her chair. _So Muja_ ate her fill, and then jumped onto Mother's lap. It was comfortable there, and her person would caress and pet her. After a while, a door opened and the man she had smelled but not seen came into the food-room. He was greeted by Kind One and Mother happily. She looked at him, finding him smaller than the other men she had seen, but heavier as well. When he bent down to look at her, she knew this man was mated to Kind One. She also knew that he was strong. The fingers that rubbed her neck were heavy and firm. She liked him. He would help her protect Mother.

Eventually, Mother went back to the room up the stairs. _So Muja_ followed, hoping that the big soft cushion would be put to use. After changing clothes, her person pulled some soft things on the cushion back and then pulled them over herself. She was pondering this when Mother called her, patting the cushion next to her. She happily leapt on the cushion and lay down next to Mother. She was warm, and she was safe. Life was definitely good.

**The next morning...**

Rikku woke from the lack of noise. One would think it would make it easier to rest, but noise had been so consistent for so long, the silence seemed unnatural. She blinked and rolled over to put her feet on the floor. Touching the cold hardwood woke her up, so she decided to get up and stay up. This was completely out of character for her. She liked sleeping. It was her favorite hobby. Now she was awake and it was still dark outside.

She pulled the curtains aside, and was surprised to find clear sky and a light breeze. It was still cold, but a pleasant cold. Already she could see the beginning of what would be a spectacular sunrise. "Look, _So Muja_! The mean old rain is gone!" Her kitten stretched and walked over to the window, looking out of it. "I'm going to make Gippal get up and have breakfast with me! I'll bring him back here, so you can see him again. Won't that be nice?" A loud purr was her answer. It grew louder when she scratched the little cat's chin. "You go back to bed, sweetie. No need for you to be up when you could be sleeping!"

Rikku quickly took a shower, and choose an outfit from the closet. Elizza had moved all of the clothes from storage into her closet. Once her hair was dry, she set about brushing it. It was no small task, brushing her hair. It was long and unruly. Finally done with that little chore, she got dressed. A pleated skirt in cream and red plaid with a matching hat, a low cut, red shirt and cream button up sweater, and knee high brown leather boots comprised her outfit. There was a matching hand bag, but Rikku disdained hand bags, so it got to stay home.

She gave _So Muja_ a good-bye pat, and left the Sun Rose. The air was crisp and clear, with only a few birds awake to share it with her. The sun was half up, lighting up the world with soft colors. Rikku half ran down the streets and avenues, eager to see Gippal. She was only a few blocks away from her destination when she saw a familiar figure walking toward her.

"Gippal!" He looked up when she called his name with a smile. Rikku laughed for no apparent reason and ran to him. Just before she crashed into him, he grabbed her by the waist and lifted her up in the air, spinning around in place. Rikku laughed again, putting her arms on his shoulders to steady herself. "Put me down, silly!"

"Why? I'm having fun."

"Because I want a kiss. Now put me down."

"If that's the case, okay." He set her on her feet, but she only stayed upright for a moment. Gippal swept her off her feet, holding her in his arm and kissing her intently. Rikku was happy to stay there. It was so dramatic and romantic. It was a shame no one was there to witness it. Once the kiss ended and she was back on her own two feet, Rikku hugged him tightly. With Gippal's arms encircling her, she felt safe and happy. Almost as if nothing could go wrong as long as she was there. Too bad her stomach was not of the same mind.

"Come on. Let's get some breakfast. Elizza's expecting us." She took his left hand in both of hers, walking alongside him. _I never thought I would end up being someone who hangs on a man like this. It's nice. I bet he thinks I think the world hangs on him. Maybe it's starting to._ This thought made her blush. Her hat and position hid it from Gippal's view, thankfully. "Isn't this great? The sun's out and we have all of Luca to ourselves!"

"Just so long as I have you to myself, I don't care what the weather's like."

"That's soooo sweet!" she said, squeezing his hand. "And of course you have me to yourself. There's no one out there that's nearly as good as you."

"In bed or otherwise?" he said with that smirk of his.

"Both."

"You've made my head twice it's natural size, you know that?"

"And I've told you before, you deserve it."

They walked into a plaza just as the sun cleared to horizon. Rikku and Gippal stopped to admire the view. The few people that were out this early stopped to look too. Rikku let go of Gippal's hand and twirled around with arms outstretched, laughing. She was surprised to find Gippal taking her hand and spinning her into a turn. The people who had been looking at the sunrise turned to look at the young couple dancing in to plaza. Happy smiles played across their faces watching them. Everyone applauded when the dance concluded, startling Rikku and Gippal. Rikku turned slightly red and grabbed Gippal's hand again.

"What's the matter? They're clapping for us. Besides, you look so pretty when you blush." This turned her face five shades of red. Gippal tilted her face up so that she could receive a kiss. She was only two shades of red when she heard someone call out their names.

"Rikku? Gippal?"

They turned to see another couple walking towards them, hand in hand. It was Paine and Barali. Rikku waved at her friends. Barali had become a friend of hers despite the whole Vegnagun/Shyuin incident.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Paine asked, the monotone all but gone from her voice. Ever since she and Barali had hooked up, Paine was a much happier person. Barali turned to look at his girlfriend and spoke.

"I think they've gone and become a couple on us, Paine. And here we thought you would tell your old Squad buddies first thing when it happened. Gippal."

"Guess I 'forgot'. Sorry."

"Like you 'forgot' to set the alarm for us to wake up on time?" Gippal just smirked.

"I don't know what you're talking about..."

Rikku decided to interrupt, seeing as she was hungry and all. "Are you guys hungry? We're going to get breakfast. Want to come? Or are you still in the 'I-only-want-to-be-with-you' stage?"

"What other reason would we be up this early, other than watching the two of you dancing like fools in love?" Paine said. She still had a blunt way with words.

"What's so wrong with that, Paine?" Rikku asked. "I seem to remember you gazing into Barali's eyes a sighing at every minute that went by."

"Touché. So where do we eat?"

"The Sun Rose. Elizza's making us a feast! You'll love her cooking. You can meet my new kitty, too! She's so cute and cuddly."

"Less talk and more walking, baby. I'm hungry too."

"Let's go! I can smell those pancakes right now!"

**And there you have it folks! Wasn't that a happy chapter? I have been unnaturally giddy/happy for some reason. I think someone is spiking my food with something. Oh well! **

**Just a warning, evilness will happen within next two chapters! Probably the one after the next one. I'm still working out details in the daydream ridden brain of mine. It's a slow process, you can imagine. I keep getting distracted, can't figure out why...**

**OMG. There is a story called Red Light by Citris Rain. It infuriates me, but it is sooooooooooooooo well written, I keep going back for more. Just like AngelTaisha's Nobody's Angel. They keep on interrupting my train of thought on my story cause I can't figure out what'll happen next I their story and my boss at work thinks I'm crazy because I keep ranting about how angry I am at a certain character in Red Light and how I think BxR make a good couple. (Which goes against my belief that G and R were just destined to be together. )**

**Anywho, thank you to all you reviewers! Positive feed back is such and ego boost! J /k. Really, thank you a lot. **

**Until next chapter, byes!**

**tagg**


	14. Charge It!

**Ok, sea monkeys! It's me again. And you know what? There is nothing quite like the buttery-goodness of croissants. (Yes, I spelled that word right on the first try!) I love high fat, high calorie foods. They are just yummy. Too bad I can't eat fast food anymore. L oh well. Sucks to be me. I'm watching a movie that is Romanian, but dubbed in English. It's pretty neat. Except for the fact that the dubbing is a little off, I'm liking it. Called "Gargoyles" on SiFi Channel. Watch it if you can! **

**All right. I know evilness is supposed to start soon, but I want to get Rikku's shopping trip done so that you can find out what Gippal is going to make her wear. I keep going into fits of giggles when I think about it! Like right now. Hehe. Sooooooooooooooooo...let's get it started!**

**I don't own FFX-2, but if I did, I'd but everyone I know a cookie and croissant!**

Chapter 12: Charge It!!!

_So Muja_ immediately leapt into Rikku's arms when she and the others entered the Sun Rose. Rikku held her close, nuzzling and caressing the little cat. After a few moments of very loud purring, _So Muja_ turned her attention to the other people in the room. She accepted a caress from Gippal with a 'mew' and stared at Paine and Barali.

"This is _So Muja_." Rikku said proudly. Paine cocked an eyebrow at her.

"You named your cat My Love?"

"Yup yup! Isn't she cute?"

"If the cat's named My Love, what does that make me?" Gippal asked. Rikku turned a brilliant smile on him. He had a very hard time resisting the urge to smile back.

"Chopped liver." was Rikku's response.

"Feeling the love here, folks. Feeling the love."

"You should be love-muffin!"

Paine and Barali laughed heartily at the antics of their friends. Rikku put her kitten down and led the way into the kitchen. The odors coming from within were mouth watering. Elizza greeted them with a smile, and informed them that breakfast would be ready soon. Rikku brought an oversized carafe full of hot coffee to the table, followed by mugs. Her friends liked coffee almost as much as she did. There would be no dainty cups for them.

A veritable feast was set before them in a few minutes, as promised. Pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, homemade biscuits with homemade jam, fried apples in a yummy cinnamon -sugar sauce...the list went on and on. Raas came to join the group, nodding to the new comers before digging in himself. Eating seemed more important at the moment than introductions. No one could be very courteous on an empty stomach.

"These friends of yours, Rikku, or did you pick up a couple more strays?" he asked after fortifying himself with several bites of pancake.

"Yep. This is Paine and the one with white hair is Barali."

"Nice to meet you. Eat up; else me and Rikku are going to eat all of this. Elizza won't make more pancakes after nine." Everyone looked at the clock and realized that it was already eight. Raas laughed and slapped him knee when they fell to with gusto.

"Didn't I tell you Elizza is the best breakfast chef around?" Rikku said around a mouth full of apples.

"Indeed. I'm glad we joined you." Barali said, leaning back in his chair. "I don't think I can eat another bite."

"Don't worry!" Rikku said happily. "We'll finish it off, won't we Raas?"

"We'll have to, girl. Looks like the others are full already. More for us. Pass the remnants of those apples over here."

After Rikku and Raas ate the rest of what was left on the table, they went into the lobby to relax. Raas left for work, but Elizza came to join them after cleaning up. Barali was playing with _So Muja_, teasing her with at colorful feather. The kitten leapt after it, pouncing and missing time and time again. She always tried again, and eventually caught the feather in her mouth.

Rikku was sitting next to Gippal on the sofa, with Paine in an armchair. It felt nice to be able to just sit there with him, and her friends. She was a social creature, and had felt shut in after so long indoors because of the rain. Now she was as happy as she could be.

"Rikku?"

"Hmmm?" Rikku turned her head to Gippal, smiling.

"So when am I supposed to take you shopping?"

"Well, how about today? I've been stuck inside for way to long."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. You're taking her shopping?!" Paine was slack jawed.

"Um, yeah. Why? Doesn't Barali take you shopping?"

"You've never been shopping with Rikku, have you?"

"No..."

Paine did not answer. She smiled a very strange smile and turned to Rikku. "Don't scare him away so soon, Rik."

"He won't be scared. Will you, Gippal?"

"I'm not too sure about that."

Rikku gave him a glare and hit him with one of the pillows adorning the sofa. Gippal dodged the first attack but got a pillow across the face with the second. She would have tried for a third, but he grabbed her pillow and tossed it out of reach. Rikku grabbed another one and proceeded to beat him with it until it joined the first one. Rikku was pinned with her arms by her side, unable to grab any more pillows. Gippal smiled and pulled Rikku close to him. "That's better. Now why'd you hit me, huh? If I'm buying you stuff, you should be nice to me instead of hitting me with pillows."

"Don't come running to us for help when your arms fall off from holding too many bags, Gippal." Paine said, rising to leave. Barali followed, telling Elizza what a wonderful hostess she was and it would be a pleasure to visit again.

"Sorry if we don't walk you to the door, but I'll get attacked again if I let her go."

"Understood. We'll see you around, love-birds." Paine said as they walked out the door. Rikku wiggled until she could face Gippal.

"Let go of me." she said unhappily.

"Only if you promise to be good."

"Ohhh...you meanie. Fine. I'll behave. Now let me go."

Rikku jumped up from the sofa, and started for the door. Gippal, assuming he should follow her, went for the door too. Rikku bent down to pet _So Muja_ and went out the door. Gippal followed her again, only to find the steps empty and no Rikku in sight. He frowned, looking around for her.

"BOO!"

Rikku was behind him, the one place he had not looked yet. Gippal kept his frown on until she was up against him, arms around his neck. Then he let it slip, finding his lips much better occupied with kissing Rikku than frowning at her.

"You know you're not chopped liver, right?" she asked, even though she knew that he knew that it was not true. She just wanted to hear him say it.

"I don't know, what with you hitting me and all-" Gippal was cut short when Rikku kissed him again. It was so very hard to talk with someone's tounge in one's mouth. It was a short kiss. They did not want to be cited for public indecency, after all. "So I'm not chopped liver. Glad we clarified that." She smiled and tried to pull away, but Gippal's arms stopped her from getting very far. "I thought you wanted to spend the day in bed..." he said, lightly kissing her neck. Rikku let him do it, though not for very long. Public indecency again. It is such a pain to be a publicly decent person.

"I do, but I've been cooped up for a week. I want some fresh air. We can spend the other half of the day in bed, and most of the next day too."

"You don't want much, do you? It's a lot of work pleasing you, _so raynd._"

"But it's a labor of love. You know you like being my love slave."

"Damn straight."

Rikku threw her head back and laughed. She led the way down the stairs and navigated the now busy streets of Luca. People were out in abundance. Most were just enjoying the sunshine. The crowds thinned a bit away from the main Plaza. Rikku was heading right for the shops that were near Vinito's Restaurant. There were so many of them, she did not know where to start. Finally deciding to just work her way down the avenue and back again, she dragged Gippal after her into the nearest shop.

She only spent an hour in it, and only bought two bags worth of clothes. All the other shops were calling her name, so she decided to hold back on the shopping urge. Gippal had surprised her by actually paying for it all. If he wanted to buy her stuff, he could. It just ment that she had even more gil to spend.

Rikku found that one store in particular was singing the siren's song. It was a high end clothing store and Rikku found herself practically drooling when she entered it. Gippal was trailing behind her, holding all of her bags. There were not that many, considering all the stores she had been to so far. He went to sit near the dressing rooms. Rikku managed to get one of the employees to be her personal shopper. A dressing room was taken over and a constant stream of clothes and shoes came and went from inside it. Gippal got to be the judge, helping to decide what she would buy and what she would not.

It had already been an hour, and a truly massive amount of clothes had been collected at the front counter. That did not include shoes and accessories. The employees were estatic at the large sale, tallying them up with glee. Meanwhile Gippal was getting annoyed. Not that he minded looking at Rikku, but she already had nine very full bags and seeing what was being toted to the front, it would be at least that many more. He had been sitting here for entirely too long in his estimation.

"Come on, Rikku! You've got enough clothes here to last you for months. Let's go."

"You agreed to come shopping with me, so suck it up. I'm almost done here." Rikku said, poking her head out of the dressing room door.

"What do you mean, here? We are _not_ going anywhere else. My arms are going to fall off if you get anything else."

"No they won't, Gippal. Don't be silly. You're such a big, strong man. I can't imagine you not being able to carry a few little bags." She shut the door again, not waiting for an answer. Gippal growled something under his breath and caught the woman shopping for Rikku.

"No more. Start ringing the sale." She looked like she was going to argue, but he cut any argument short. "I'm buying it, so stop bringing her stuff to try on." She nodded and gave Rikku the armful of clothes she was holding. This one included some dresses. At least he would be enjoying Rikku in a dress. There was an emerald green one that he was eager to see her in. She had tried on all of them but that one. "Try on the green one, baby."

"I'm wearing it right now."

"So...let me see it."

"Not yet. Hold on."

"Why?"

"Because I've got to try on something with it, Lover. I can't decide which one I like better."

"Which what, Rikku? Let me see and I'll decide. Then we can leave."

"Um...no. I don't think I should."

"Damn it, I'm buying it, so let me see it." He was really annoyed now. Gippal just wanted to go and get something to eat. Being hungry made him almost as grumpy as Rikku when she was hungry. He did not wait long. Rikku emerged from the dressing room, wearing the green dress. It was an evening gown, made for admiration and showing off. It matched her eyes perfectly.

"We'll take it, and whatever else goes with it."

"I think you like this dress."

"Hell yeah. Now take it off before I do it for you."

Rikku giggled and complied, exiting the dressing room in her own clothes. She handed an armfull of clothes to her shopper, and took Gippal's arm. His hands were holding her shopping bags, so she could not take one of them. By the time they reached the front counter, the sale was rung up and her bags waiting to be taken away. Gippal groaned when he saw how many of them there were.

"Don't worry. I'll carry some too. I don't want you to get tired so soon."

"Gee thanks."

The total was ridiculously large. Rikku was reaching for her platinum gil card. Gippal beat her to it, handing his card to the woman behind the counter. Rikku tried to fight this, saying that he had bought her something already. He did not listen to her. The slip was signed and they left the store. Gippal was carrying the majority of the bags while Rikku only had a few.

"Why won't you let me carry more bags, Gippal? All this stuff is mine."

"It goes against the Big Book of Rules Men Live By. A woman should always carry less than the man escorting her. It's rule number forty-three."

"Ok...whatever you say." Rikku said while patting the top of his head with her free hand. She had to stretch to do it. _Why can't I be just a few inches taller? It's not like my parents were short or anything. _

"I like you just the way you are."

"I was thinking out loud again, wasn't I?"

"Yes. That seems to be a habit with you. Although I'll always know what you're thinking in the future. Definite bonus for me."

"Ooooo, and what future do you foresee for us?" she said with that thousand watt smile of hers.

"A good one, if I have my way."

"You probably will have your way."

"Really. And when did you stop being stubborn, Rikku?"

"I'm not stubborn. You just don't realize that it's easier to let me have my way than to argue with me. And I happen to remember you having your way with me the other night. Without my being stubborn."

"Are you saying I can handle you? I'm touched."

"It's a shame you're not touching me." she said. Gippal raised his hands, showing all the bags that kept him from touching her.

"That's your fault. I didn't make you buy all this stuff." he said. They passed another shop, and Gippal stopped to look in the window. He had an evil grin on his face.

"You have GOT to be joking."

"No such luck. Come on." Gippal went inside the shop, and Rikku sighed and followed him in.

**Several minutes later...**

"I can't believe you picked this outfit out of everything else in these shops."

"I can. Smile, baby. The kids are watching."

Rikku looked around and did indeed find several children staring at her. No few adults were staring too. It was no wonder they stared. Her outfit was ridiculous. She looked exactly like her favorite childhood super hero: Sailor Moon. (**A/N: I don't own Sailor Moon either. I really wish I did though.)** Complete with magic tiara and hair do. She even had a stuffed Luna doll. All in all, it was not something a normal adult would be wearing for any reason other than a masquerade party.

Gippal must have remembered her childhood obsession and been unable to resist the costume. Not that Rikku minded too much. It was fun to see the children giggle and ask for her autograph.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Gippal asked as they walked back toward the Sun Rose.

"I sure am."

"You are something else. Anyone else would never wear that thing."

"I know you like me in this outfit, Gippal. Admit it. You like the whole sluty-school- girl- turned -super- hero thing."

"Alright, but just a little. There's nothing like a girl in a tiny skirt running around trying to beat up bad guys and failing miserably."

Rikku stopped walking. "How dare you make fun of Sailor Moon! Take this: Fluffy Kitty Attack!!" She took her stuffed Luna doll and proceeded to beat Gippal over the head with it numerous times. Gippal's body was shaking with laughter and tears streamed down his face. Other people on the street were guffawing and some women were rolling on the pavement. They must have remembered being Sailor Moon fans too.

Once her attack was over, Rikku started walking again like nothing had happened.  
Gippal came up next to her, still laughing. They walked the rest of the way in silence. Everytime Gippal tried to talk he just burst out laughing. Rikku ignored him all the way up to her room. He set all her shopping bags down near the door and turned to face Rikku. And immediately started laughing. She was standing near the bed with her arms crossed and tapping her foot.

Seeing him laugh, she threw her Luna doll at him, hitting him squarely on the nose. He laughed harder. She stomped up to him sending further waves of mirth through his body. Rikku pushed past him, closing the door.

"Here I was going to let you take this off me, but I've changed my mind. You wait here while I change in the bathroom."

"Oh no you don't. Get over here."

"No. I'm being stubborn, so too bad for you." She twirled around, headed for the bathroom. Gippal caught her after two steps.

"Don't you know it's easier to let me have my way, Rikku? It'll be a lot more fun for both of us."

"Okay! You've convinced me." She pushed him backwards and onto the bed. "Now get this off me."

**Alrighty, how'd you like it? You might not think it was too funny, but I think the idea of Rikku attacking Gippal with a stuffed cat while wearing that outfit is gut-wrenchingly funny. Then again, I have an odd sense of humor. If you don't like it, well, too bad. **

**Anywho, this was short, but I have to start the evilness sometime. And there's no time like the present, right? So next chapter will be evil-like. And it might take me a while to do. So, I am a Sailor Moon fan, and I'm proud of it! Hehe.**

**I didn't put the SM disclaimer at the beginning because it would ruin the surprise. Nobody sue me, please!**

**I will start on the evil chapters tomorrow. It can't be happy all the time, right? So until we meet again, please r&r, and thank you ever so much for reading my story!**

**tagg  
**


	15. Evil Begins

**Ok sea monkeys! I'm back and ready for action! Well, evil actually, but it's the same thing, right? And it's also time for tagg to eat some Halloween candy! Except chocolate. Can't eat it. Poo! Starbursts here I come. WOO HOO!!!!!!! Ohhhh, a pink one...yummy. **

**Ok, tagg, get back on track...**

**I don't own FFX-2, but if I did, I would find a way to remove caffeine from chocolate, so that I could eat a Snickers bar. Yummy!J**

Chapter 13: See No Evil...

Gippal and Rikku had been able to spend over a month together in Luca. Unfortunately, Gippal had to go and do some work at Djose for a few days. His workers had not minded his absense at all. They were relieved to see him getting some rest instead of working himself into the ground everyday. Plaazt had taken on his workload, and nearly buckled underneath it. He held up though; Gippal paid him too well to buckle.

So here he was, working and working and working and not sleeping much at all. Gippal found that he missed sleeping through the night with Rikku. He missed waking up with her snuggled against him. He missed taking her places and buying her things. The clothes he had bought had just been the beginning. All kinds of treats found their ways into Rikku's room at the Sun Rose. They were little things, like flowers or gormet candies left on her pillow so that she could gobble them up when she woke. _So Muja_ even received a beautiful rhinestone collar with a delicate bell that jingled ever so lightly when she moved.

Here he was, thinking about his beautiful girlfriend instead of the mound of paperwork that threatened to fall off his desk at the slightest breeze. He signed them and sorted them and replied to them without really thinking about it. He was on auto-pilot. The only thing that kept him going was the fact that when this was finished, so was he. Gippal could see Rikku again. It had only been three days, but they felt like the three longest days in history.

Gippal pulled his gaze away from the sun rise and tried to listent to what Plaazt was saying while still signing and sorting and replying. He really did try to listen. Most of what was being said he already knew. Plaazt was just giving his reports on productivity and progress. _Can we say boring, Plaazt? You know that I know all this crap. Why bother telling me again? Man this bites. _

"You're not listening to a word I'm saying, are you?" Plaazt said. He did not seem upset about it.

"Not really. I'm too busy giving myself paper cuts."

"I'm sure that's the only reason..."

Gippal gave the man a very level stare, and Plaazt left the room sighing. _Do all my workers think I'm love struck? I am, but I thought I was doing well hiding it. Damn. _Gippal gave up all thought and turned what remained of his attention to the papers in front of him.

**Later that night...**

Luca was buzzing with activity that night. All the clubs and bars were at full capacity and more people were out enjoying the balmy night. Nights were usually cool in Luca, so the residents were out in force. Gippal was walking to the Sun Rose with Raas. Raas had joined him when he got off the boat.

"Rikku's making something for us to eat when we get home."

"Good. Man am I hungry." Gippal said, patting his stomach.

"A real Al Bhed feast. She and Elizza have been at it since this morning. All the neighbors are sticking their heads out the windows, drooling." Raas made a face, mimicking the drooling neighbors. Gippal laughed. "Why not just stay with her at the Rose? You end up spending most of your time there anyway. It would make her happy too."

"I guess so. I don't want her to think I'm being clingy or something." Gippal said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Whatever. The two of you are almost disgusting to watch. If I didn't like you guys I'd have been sick already."

"Thanks. I think." They walked on in silence for a while.

"So, you going to marry her or what?"

Gippal missed a step and almost fell. "What?! We haven't even been together that long!"

"You said you've loved her since you were a kid. Why not ask her? I bet she'd say yes."

"Because I'm terrified of doing anything to lose her."

"You won't lose her, boss man."

Gippal remained silent. The thought of marrying Rikku did not frighten him. The thought of losing her did. He finally had the woman of his dreams, he was not about to mess things up. It might be worth the risk though. He indulged himself with a fantasy of being married to her. The idea proved to be intoxicating enough to occupy his mind for the rest of the trek. Seeing Rikku would just amplify the effect. The thought of her rushing into his arms again made him walk faster.

They had reached the Sun Rose. Raas unlocked the door. There was an odd smell in the air, like something was burning. The smell intensified when the door was opened. Gippal and Raas shared a worried look and hurried inside. Gippal dropped his bag immediately and ran into the kitchen with Raas. The place was a mess. The contense of a pot was emitting the burning smell as it boiled over and hit the flame below. Platters of food were upturned or broken and scattered on the counters. What had been a sumptuous meal was now a very large mess. Cooking utensils littered the floor along with various pieces of food. The kitchen table was knocked over and what was left of a chair lay near the still open windows.

What grabbed their attention was a bloody kitchen knife left on the floor. The blood was spattered all around, but concentrated in two distinct places. One was where the knife lay on the floor and the other was near the window.

They entered cautiously. It went against the grain of Gippal's nature to sneak in when Rikku or Elizza could be in danger or was hurt. Whoever had broken in could still be inside. Terrible thoughts entered his mind, thoughts of what might have happened to the two women. The further they went in, the worse those thoughts became. The blood spattered on the floor turned into puddles. The one near the knife was centralized, all the blood right next to it. Gippal was going to investigate the puddle near the window when he was distracted by a pair of feet sticking out from behind the center island.

"Elizza!!" Raas yelled, rushing to the feet with remarkable speed. Gippal went with him. The feet did indeed belong to Elizza. She was lying on the floor with a dart in her neck. Nothing else seemed to be wrong with her. Raas pulled the dart out carefully, putting it on the island above him. Elizza'a eyes fluttered open, released from whatever drug had held her. She suddenly came to life, sitting up quickly, eyes darting around the room. "Elizza, what happened? Where's Rikku?" Raas asked. There was concern in his voice, but now that Elizza was awake and alert he knew she was in relatively good shape. She did not answer at first. She kept looking around, searching for something that was not there. Tears streamed down her face, and her hands looked like they wanted to claw at her skin.

"Oh NO! He took her! He took her!"

"What happened to Rikku, Elizza?" Raas asked again with utmost patience. Gippal remained silent, not wanting to believe something had happened to Rikku. So he turned his emotions off for the time being. Becoming emotional would only compliate matters. Raas could handle his wife and Gippal knew it. He busied himself with the second puddle of blood near the window while Raas calmed Elizza down.

This puddle was more like something had sprayed blood all around the floor and it had gathered together, forming the puddle before him. Upon closer inspection, there looked to be tiny paw prints in the blood, probably from _So Muja_. There was a small trail leading to the window, with larger smears on the frame and window sill.

"_So Muja_ got a bite of him." His voice was cold and still. It must have shocked Elizza because she stopped babbling and took in a choking breath. Raas was staring at him with a very peculiar expression. He did not question Gippal, though. He mearly accepted it and turned back to his wife.

"What happened, Elizza? Where is Rikku?"

Elizza pulled her gaze away from Gippal and looked at mess that had been her very clean kitchen. "A...a man came in. Broke in. He...he threw some kind of projectile at me and I fell down. Rikku attacked him. She ..she stabbed him with the knife she was using to chop vegetables." She covered her face with her hands, and started to shake. Raas put his heavy hands on her shoulders, trying to give her some comfort. Elizza stopped shaking but kept her face hidden. "He didn't even flinch. A knife was buried to the hilt in his leg...and he didn't seem to notice. Just pulled it out and lunged after her." She paused again, trying to breathe normally but failing. "Rikku, she turned around and did something I couldn't see...but when she turned back he had her. Oh fayth, he took her..." Elizza took several minutes to gather herself together, all the while with Raas holding her. "That kitten, she jumped on him and took a bite of his hand, clawing his forearm. I've never heard a cat sound like that. He threw her off, somewhere...oh! Poor _So Muja_! Where is she?!"

Elizza got up and ran to the corner of the kitchen where the desk was. She practically threw the chair out of her way, and pulled a small furry bundle to her chest. At first, the kitten did not respond to Elizza's prodding. Then a feint purr resonated into the room, signifying that she was alive. Elizza started sobbing. Raas was next to her immediately, telling her they needed to take care of _So Muja_.

Gippal had not moved since Elizza had started speaking. He had heard it all, and could not make himself move. All the emotions he was trying to repress were doing their damndest to come to the front. It had always been easy to turn his feelings off, and now it seemed to be more difficult than ever to do. Any time he needed to think and not feel, like now, he just got rid of them. It made things easier to deal with. Most people thought he was just an unfeeling, cold person when it happened. They couldn't be farther from the truth.

"Raas."

"What?"

"I'm going to look outside." Raas nodded and went back to helping Elizza tend to the kitten. Gippal made his way outside and around the building. When he came to the open window, he stopped and looked around. The blood was outside too. He followed it out to the street, and lost it about a block from the Sun Rose. Too many people and too much time had passed by for him to find anything beyond that. Returning to the window, Gippal gave the area a more thourough investigation. He crouched down and found an odd pile of what looked like wood slivers. He sniffed the air, his nose finding a smell that did not belong to the area. Cedar wood. Fresh cedar wood. The odor came from the wood slivers.

_Great clue, Gippal. Wood slivers. You'll be able to track down this guy for sure now. Just fucking wonderful. Rikku's been kidnapped and all I can do is sit here and wait for Elizza to come to her senses and tell us what happened. Mean while, she's out there all alone, with that man doing who knows what to her...he's a dead man if he hurts her. _Gippal knew what could happen, but he did not allow himself to think overmuch about it. The idea of Rikku being hurt, or worse raped, made his blood boil.

"Hey Raas," he said through the window. "Any idea what a bunch of cedar chips are doing outside your kitchen window?" He waited a moment and then saw Raas' head in the window, his body postioned carefully, so that the blood smears were not disturbed.

"Nope. Anything else out here?"

"Blood leads to the street, but it gets lost out there." Gippal gave the area one last scan and looked back to Raas. "Make sure Elizza's okay. I going to check up on something."

"Like I'd leave her alone right now. Check on what, boss man?"

"Har. He might know something. I'll be back soon."

"Be careful dealing with him. He's not quite right in the head, if you ask me."

"That's just a show he puts on for the benefit of the authorities. Man's a sly one."

Gippal did not wait for an answer. He just started walking. Movement helped him keep control. It was a long walk to find the man named Har. No one knew who he really was, or what he did to find out his information. All anyone knew was that he had it, and would share it. For a price. Usually a steep one.

Har operated in the part of Luca that was middle-class, not the poor part that most people would think to find him in. No one looking for information that had enough money to pay for it would go into the slums. They thought they were too good to go there. So Har worked where the money _would_ go. That is where Gippal found him, leaning against the corner of a building with a cigarette in his hand. He was just outside of the ring of light a street lamp emitted. The man looked up when Gippal came close and held out his hand like he was greeting an old friend.

"Good to see you, Har. How's business?" Gippal asked, voice flat and icy. Har looked the same as always. He wore the clothes of a man that lives paycheck to paycheck and had the most forgettable face you could think of. No part of him stood out in one's memory. He was just there, like a shadow you could have a real conversation with.

"Pretty good, Machine Man. What brings you here?"

"Something happened. Wondered if you knew about what was going to go down today."

"Going down? I don't what you're talking about."

Gippal slid a bag full of gil into Har's pocket. "The Sun Rose. What do you know about what happened?"

"That's only half." Har said.

"You get more if I like what you tell me."

"Well, you won't like it. Cause I don't know about anything happening at the old Rose."

"Something did. I don't believe that you know nothing about it, Har."

"Neither do I. What went on?"

"Break in. Lot's of blood. A girl was taken. Jog your memory any?"

"Nope." Har took a drag on his cigarette. "I don't like anything happening in my city that I don't know about. Who's the girl, might I ask?"

"My girl."

Har whistled softly. "Pretty one, that." He held up his hands innocently when Gippal glared at him. "Can't say I'm surprised when I think about it, though."

"How's that?"

"Well, you see," Har said, taking another drag, "there's been an odd number of disappearances over the last two years. All of them pretty young girls, like yours. Authorities keep it quiet, see. Don't want to cause a panic or ruin the tourist trade. Any way, these girls just disappeared. No sign of struggle, no ransoming, nothing. Just poof, gone. No one sees hide or hair of them again."

"Anything out of the ordinary where the girls vanished?"

"Not in the beginning, no. It's a man, I know that. He'd have to be ridiculously strong or insane to try and take on your girl." He meant it as a compliment, but seemed to realize Gippal was not in the mood for it. He sighed and lit another cigarette. "About a year ago, the guy started getting sloppy. People started to notice the girls disappearing sooner and sooner. Took one girl right out in public, and no one noticed. An old man fell over a shoe that fell off the girl's foot right when he took her. Found some kind of wood at one girl's inn room."

"Wood?" Gippal asked sharpley. "What kind was it, cedar?"

"Right on the button. I take it you found some then." Gippal nodded and Har shook his head saddly. "Don't look too good, then. Wish I could give you more."

"Thanks anyway." They shook hands, with Gippal slipping another bag of gil to Har. He was walking away, when Har called to him. Gippal turned to find the bag of gil flying through the air at him. Catching it, Gippal gave the Har an inquiring look.

"I didn't give you what you would have liked. I'll keep an ear out for anything. You'll make it worth my time, I think. Hope you find your girl, Machine Man."

**Soooooo, what do you think happened? I wonder if Rikku is still alive, and who took her away from her ever so devoted and loving Gippal? The cad! And he hurt little _So Muja_, too!!! That's just plain mean. **

**Anywho, sorry this took so long to post, but tagg has had a bad migrain for a few days. Got rid of it with the help of my incredibly wonderful chiropractor. That man is just so great. I'm making him a great big key-lime pie for fixing me.**

**So thank you to all you patient and ardent readers out there! Please let me know if I've executed this properly. R&R, please!!!!! J**

**tagg**


	16. Evil UnDone or Rare Cooked Psycho

**Ok sea monkeys! I'm here once again, with more evil stuff. I'm thinking I'll make it really demented. Yeah, sounds good! Let's see what my twisted mind can dream up.**

**Thank you too all you people that read my story! I hope you like this chapter! **

**I don't own FFX-2, but if I did, I would take a trip to the Ben and Jerry's Factory in Vermont!**

Chapter 14: Evil Un-Done or Rare Cooked Psycho

Gippal was sitting on an up righted chair in the kitchen of the Sun Rose. Elizza was there, petting _So Muja_ like her life depended on it. Raas was hovering near her, looking as worried as he ever did. Raas was not one to show emotions overmuch. Gippal just did not feel anything but frustration and anger. The anger was building, trying to gain control so that his body could express it in the most violent way possible. It was too bad this was someone else's home, or he would break something. Most likely the wall to start, then maybe break the furniture into fire wood. That would make a nice start.

"So Har didn't know anything, huh? Odd."

"Tell me about it. He said he'd keep his ears open, but I doubt he'll get anything." Gippal said, giving _So Muja_ a glance. "Too bad cats can't talk. You know who took Rikku, don't you?" His words were bitter. Elizza had not recognized the man who broke into her home. He knew she felt horrible about not being able to help find Rikku, but that did not alleviate his anger. Nothing would, not until he found her. _But how the hell am I supposed to find her? EElizza doesn't know who it was and the cat can't talk. What am I going to do if I lose her? Besides wallow in despair, I mean. _Gippal's thoughts were interrupted by _So Muja_ yowling at the top of her small lungs near the broom closet. He frowned at the cat, noting that she was looking directly at him. "What? You find a mouse or something?"

"Not in my kitchen, you won't." Elizza said huffily. The cat yowled again, louder than before. Elizza got up and opened the door, letting _So Muja_ inside. She looked around and entered the closet, rustling something. Then what looked like a broom or mop handle fell out of the closet. "What are you doing, you silly kitten? Get out of there; you've had your fun." Elizza picked up the broom and replaced it in the closet. _So Muja_ promptly knocked it down again, this time jumping out and yowling again at Gippal. "What's gotten into you? Stop being naughty. We have enough to worry about." Elizza put the broom away and firmly shut the closet door.

Gippal was still staring at the kitten when she ran up to him and jumped onto his lap. Her front paws were placed on his chest, and her claws were digging into his skin, causing sharp pricks of pain. He reached up to stroke her head but she would not relax the grip of her claws.

"What's the matter with you, cat?" he said, still stroking her head and neck. _So Muja _jumped down and went to the broom closet again, yowling and pawing at the door, trying to get inside again. "You're just going to knock something down again. What's so interesting about a broom closet?" She meowed and started shivering, just like when Rikku rescued her from the angry desk clerk at his former inn. The only difference was that she was not sopping wet. _The desk clerk...no, that can't be it...can it?_

"What desk clerk?" Raas had looked away from his wife and gave Gippal a very hard stare.

"The desk clerk...is that it, _So Muja_?" Gippal received a 'mew' in answer. "It is isn't it? That's who it is. You're a genius, cat." He turned to look back at Raas. "The damn desk clerk. He's the one who took her. And those other girls, I'll bet."

"So let's go get him."

"No, Raas. You can't leave Elizza alone. I'll get Har to go with me."

"You can't be serious! Har?!"

"He's more cut throat in a fight than I am. Why do you think no one bothers him? You stay and take care of Elizza."

It took little more than fifteen minutes to relocate Har and coerce him into helping. Har even knew where Mr. Helpful lived. He made it his business to know where the shady and not-so-shady characters lived. Mr. Helpful lived in an extremely old townhouse. The exterior was shabby, but not enough to make neighbors complain. The bushes on either side of the walkway needed a trim in the worst way. Weeds out numbered the grass in the lame excuse for a lawn that most city dwellings had. The window shutters needed new paint and there was not even a street number on the door any longer. The door had once been a vibrant red, but it had faded to a brownish color.

Gippal did not particularly care what the place looked like. All he wanted was to find Rikku, safe and sound. He and Har were spying through one of the front windows. The furnishings inside were as shabby as the outside of the house. Mr. Helpful was in for the night, sitting in an armchair that looked as if it would fall to pieces any minute. The chair was facing away from the window, so they could not see what he was up to, but that hardly mattered. Har nodded to him, and Gippal proceeded to pick the lock on the front door. It was ridiculously easy to do. Rikku was not the only thief in Spira.

They entered quietly, shutting the door behind them. Mr. Helpful did not notice them until Gippal spoke.

"Well, what have we here? One nut ball in a crappy chair." Mr. Helpful started to move, but Gippal pulled his gun on him. "I think not. Don't move unless you want to get shot where it hurts the most." Har was making his way over to the man in the chair, pulling a rope from an inner pocket of his coat. He proceeded to tie Mr. Helpful up, leaving no slack in the rope. The man winced, and both Har and Gippal noticed a blood soaked bandage on his hand. Once he was tied, Har stayed beside him, silent and observant. "Where is she?"

"Where's who? This is a criminal act! Get out of my house!"

"Where is Rikku?" Gippal advanced, gun cocked and very determined to kill the man if he did not answer him quickly. "Answer me."

"I'd answer." Har said, speaking for the first time. Mr. Helpful looked at him, surprised at the sound of his voice. "That man's not stable. I think he'll shoot you if you don't come clean. We know you took her, and all the other girls. Why not fess up, ease your conscience before he puts a hole in your head?"

"Wha-how do you..." Mr. Helpful shut his mouth abruptly. Then he started to laugh. It was the kind of laugh that unhinges the spine and makes the hair on the back of the neck stand on end. The kind of laugh one expects to hear come from the mouth of a demon, not a man. Combined with the state of the house, it made the atmosphere seem eerie and distressing. "I doesn't matter what you do to me." he said, giggling instead of laughing now. He sounded like a demented school girl. "You'll never find her. Or them. Mardoc has them now. You can't have her back."

"Who the hell is Mardoc? Another sick friend of yours?" Har asked, putting a hand up to stall Gippal from pulling the trigger.

"Mardoc?" There was another disturbing laugh. "Mardoc! He is the all powerful Sun God! Slayer of Tiamat! He will reign supreme, with me by his side! And you pathetic fools will all perish at His wrath!"

"Why does Mardoc have the girls?" This was Har again.

"He needs them, needs their souls. He can't come into this world without them. They will be his stepping stones to our plane of existence, and nothing can stop his coming! Nothing!"

Har shook his head. Gippal still had his gun trained on Mr. Helpful, wanting to put a hole in his head, like Har had threatened. Mr. Helpful started cackling again, and babbling about Mardoc. Gippal turned away, leaving the crazy man to Har. He started shearching, looking for anything out of the ordinary. Everything was falling to pieces; some of them fell apart when he moved them. The only thing that looked in good repair was the chair Mr. Helpful was occupying.

"Get him out of the chair." Har gave him a look, but did as he was told. Mr. Helpful began protesting, making his extraction from the chair as difficult as possible. Gippal pushed the chair aside, and found what he was looking for on the floor. A trap door.

Gippal pulled it open, and Mr. Helpful began screaming, trying to limp over to him. Har tugged the man back, causing him to cry out in pain as he fell on his side, attempting to clutch at his leg. Gippal ignored him, peering down into what looked like an earthen pit. Light flickered below him, indicating that Mr. Helpful had been down there recently. A rough ladder was carved into the foundation of the house, and extended below it for a few meters.

He looked back at Har, only to find Mr. Helpful gagged and wearing a noose around his neck. It was attached to the ropes binding his hands and legs. If the man tried to move more than an inch, he would choke himself to death. If he jerked, his neck would break.

"Going down?" Har said non-chalantly. Nothing seemed to faze Har, not even the ramblings of an insane man who thought a god lived under his house. Gippal wondered how he could listen to it so calmly. Although it was not Har's love that was in danger. Gippal might have reacted the same way if it had been anyone but Rikku.

"Yes. You coming? Or do you want to baby-sit the psycho?"

"I think I'd better stay up here, don't want him to pull something. You watch it down there. Can't get paid if you die."

"True. I'll be back."

Gippal descended the ladder carefully, not wanting to dislodge it. It seemed like a longer trip than it should have been. The flickering lights became brighter and steadier. When he reached the bottom, he found an un-even dirt floor and a short hallway leading to a room. The light was coming from the room, so that was where Gippal went.

It was roughly circular, with what looked like a shrine at the end opposite the entrance. The light came from candles; hundreds of candles. All of them were lit, dripping wax onto their holders or on the shrine itself, and surrounding some kind of statues. On closer inspection, they revealed themselves to be female, every one with some distinguishing feature. One had hair that was nearly as long as her entire body. Another had eyes significantly better carved than the rest of the body. He found one with waist length hair and a beautiful smile. It was Rikku. He would know that smile anywhere.

Gippal felt anxiety well up inside him. There were no other rooms, no hallways. Nothing changed, except for the angle of the floor and the colors of the dirt walls. Since there were no other rooms to explore, he studied the walls. Most of it was uniform brown, with some red clay mixed in every once in a while. Only, one part looked, well, different. The dirt seemed freshly disturbed. The rest of the walls had not been disturbed in some time.

He felt the patch of wall before him, finding it slightly damp to the touch. He pushed on it, and found it pliable, like stretched out bubble gum. He pushed harder, which created a hole large enough for his hand to fit inside some kind of cavity. Gippal grabbed a candle from the shrine and used it to peer into it.

A glint of something gold colored caught his eye. It was the color and texture of Rikku's hair. His heart started racing, feeling like it would pound its way out of his chest. His desire to rip open the cavity was overwhelming, but he was terrified of what he might find. Gippal pulled more of the soft dirt away revealing a very still Rikku. Too still. He could not tell if she was breathing, she was so still.

Gippal nearly had a heart attack when her head jerked toward him, green eyes wide open. He just stared for a moment; his relief at finding her alive was over whelming. With a savage cry, he tore open the hole in the wall and pulled Rikku out of it. He found her tied, hands and feet together, with a dart in her neck, just like Elizza. He pulled it out carefully, throwing it to the ground. He then cut the ropes binding her arms and legs. Mobility returned to her, but her eyes remained wide open and un-blinking.

"Rikku? Rikku, baby, it's me, Gippal. What's wrong, _so raynd_?"

She did not answer. Gippal took another look at her eyes, and cursed under his breath. The normally spiraled pupils of her eyes were so dilated that the iris seemed totally greenish-black. There was only one thing that could do that to an Al Bhed's eyes: Ojai. It was a very powerful stimulant that would allow a person to overcome any obsticle. The only thing that would stop an Al Bhed on Ojai was death or the antidote. It was one or the other, nothing in between.

Rikku must have seen Mr. Helpful drug Elizza, and taken the Ojai in an effort to counteract the drug he would try to use on her. That explains why she turned around after stabbing him. It also explains why the kitchen was such a mess. The Ojai must have been effective against the drug in the dart for at least a little while, judging by the destruction she had caused trying to fight him off.

Gippal cursed again, and started digging in his pocket. All Al Bhed carried Ojai and its antidote. Getting caught in the desert alone was not what anyone wanted to do. One could travel all day and night, never feeling the heat or fatigue after taking Ojai; all so one could reach safety. He found the small vial of antidote after what seemed like an eternity. The liquid inside was purple. He unscrewed the cap and tilted Rikku's head back slightly, pouring the liquid down her throut, forcing her to swallow it. The antidote was not pleasant to taste. Nor was the effect of the Ojai being purged from the body.

It took effect almost immediately. Her eyes bulged slightly, and she rolled over on her own strength, away from Gippal. He stayed with her anyway, holding her shaking body and her hair out of her face as she emptied the contense of her stomach, and then some, onto the dirt floor. A long series of dry heaving followed. Her body was removing the Ojai; the drug stayed in the system, but not in the blood. That was the reason the Al Bhed used it. Once the need for it was over, it could be purged from the body.

Finally, it was all over. Rikku wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. She was shaking so badly she could not support herself. Gippal pulled her against him, holding her close, murmuring into her hair. Relief flodded through him like a tidal wave. Silent tears slid down his face and into her hair. Nothing else mattered to him at that moment except the Rikku was alive and in his arms.

Eventually, Rikku stopped shaking so violently, and she shifted so that her arms were wrapped tightly around his neck. She did not try to move again for some time. When she did, it was to pull away slightly so that she could look at his face.

"Gippal..." Her eyes were back to their normal color, but the usual happiness was replaced by fear. Her voice was harsh and dry. Rikku stroked his cheek, brushing away tears with her fingers. "Why..crying.."

"Because I thought I'd lost you..."

"I'm...harder to...lose than...that, silly."

"Yeah, I guess I should have known better." he said, marveling at how she was trying to comfort _him_ when she had been buried alive and left to rot by a psychotic desk clerk. "Are you hurt?" he asked, fearful of what her answer would be.

"No. He didn't...seem to want to...even touch me. Kept saying 'Mardoc will have you' and threw me...in there." Rikku shuddered, not wanting to remember how terrifying it was to be aware that she was more than likely going to die. "Can we leave? Please...I don't want to be here..." Her voice was small and pleading, like a child.

"Absolutely. Can you hold on to me up the ladder? I don't think you should try to climb it right now."

"Anything to get out of...here." was her response. Gippal picked her up and carried her through the circular room and down the narrow hall way. She did indeed hold onto him all the way up, though barely. Har helped to pull them both up at the top of the ladder. Rikku blinked at Har, not knowing who he was, but not really caring at this point. All she wanted to do was be some place safe with Gippal next to her.

"Bout time you came up, Machine Man. I was starting to worry, what with all the noises down there."

"So sorry. I was a bit busy."

A muffled scream came from the floor near the fireplace. Mr. Helpful was nearly frothing at the mouth with rage. They could not make out his words, but Rikku shrank against Gippal, wanting very much for him to act the over-protective-male at that moment. He did not dissapoint her. She felt his muscles tense, and he held her closer against him.

"One of the neighbors started getting nosey. I expect the authorities will be here soon. Should we leave him like that and waltz on out of here? Or do you want to be a good, honest citizen?" Har asked. "He won't get out of those ropes unless he kills himself. We could just give an anonymous tip that all the missing girls of Luca are in a secret room under his house."

"Sounds good to me." Gippal said, and then turned to Rikku. "Unless you really want to hang around here and be questioned relentlessly about the same thing over and over and over again..."

"Let's go. I don't ever want to see him or this place again." she said, burying her face against Gippals shoulder. She did not want to see Mr. Helpful.

"Then let's go. Maybe he'll put himself out his misery for us." Har said, starting for the door. Gippal carried Rikku outside, and heard the sounds of guards coming around the bend, quickly.

"Har. Get out of here. You've helped enough. We'll deal with this."

"You sure, Machine Man?"

"Yes. Now leave, before they see you."

"Alright. I'll be in touch." He turned to Rikku and nodded. "Glad you came out alright." Then he was off, a shadow among the shadows.

"I'm sorry, baby. You'll have to go through this after all."

"It's alright. So long as you stay with me."

"I'll never leave you anywhere again. You're going to travel everywhere with me. And _So Muja_, too."

"Good. Cause I don't want you to go away ever again. Although I like you being my hero and all, I don't want to go through that again."

"I'll kill anyone who harms you, _so raynd_." Rikku just looked at him, and a slow smile spread on her face. It had the unique Rikku-happiness in it. Gippal smiled back.

"That's so sweet, Gippal."

They both started laughing, while the authorities looked on, perplexed.

**I bet you all thought I was going to make Cid do it, didn't you? At first I was, but then changed my mind. Mr. Helpful was just such a bastard for trying to hurt _So Muja_, I had to make him the villian. **

**Anywho, please r&r! I like reviews. They make me giggle like a little girl with an entire box of cookies all to herself that she stole from the top of the fridge. Hehe.**


	17. SuperMassive Black Hole

**Ok sea monkeys! I'm raring and ready to go. And who said the evil would end at the last chapter? Not me. This will go on for as long as I can get ideas for it. So, on that note...**

**Thank you to all you reviewer-type people. You give me encouragement. **

**I don't own FFX-2, so don't sue me. I am a very poor student with a meanial day job. I need all my money, so don't take it, please.**

Chapter 15: Super-Massive Black Hole

_So Muja_ was impatient. She wanted Mother to come Home. The Bad Man had taken her, despite the best bites and scratches she could give him. Kind One had been hurt as well. She was better now, but her mate was hovering protectively near her. Mother's mate had gone to get the Bad Man and bring Mother Home. It was too dangerous Outside.

As much as _So Muja_ wanted to see Mother, she was afraid Mother would not think so highly of her anymore. She had let Bad Man take her away, after all. There was something really _wrong_ about Bad Man. She couldn't put her paw on it, but it was like he was not quite...human. Thinking about Bad Man made her scared and sad. So she turned to Kind One.

Kind One had made her better after the Bad Man had hurt her. Kind One also stayed near her, for comfort. Whether it was for her or Kind One, _So Muja_ did not know. Stone Face stayed near Kind One and was talking on occasion to some strange humans that were running around like ants in the food room. She wanted them to leave.

A movement from the stairs caught her attention. One of the strange humans was going up the stairs, toward Mother's room. She 'meow'ed loudly and got Kind One to see where the stranger was going. Stone Face became unhappy with the stranger, and he went back down the stairs.

Eventually, the humans left. _So Muja _was relieved. Now if only Mother would come Home, everything would be good again. She waited on the window sill near the front door. Kind One and Stone Face were cleaning the food room, making it right again. She did not like being around people cleaning. They always made her move when she got comfortable. The sky was dark, but the edge of the world was getting some color. The sun was coming up. This cheered _So Muja_ some what. Mother would be here soon. She just knew it. Jumping down from her perch, she paced the entryway. Soon, she heard foot steps at the door. At once _So Muja_ recognized Mother's step, and heard One Eye with her.

The door opened, and in they came. She let out a jubilant 'mew' and lept into Mother's arms. Mother held her close, stroking her head and body reassuringly. Mother wasn't upset with her. She was still loved and wanted. Purring as though the fate of the world depended on it, _So Muja _snuggled against her person. Nothing was wrong now. Mother was Home with her and One Eye, and they could all be together again.

She looked up at Mother's face, wanting to see her smile. Mother was smiling, but her face was different. Her eyes looked like they were sunk in black pools on her face and _So Muja_ noticed that her body was shaking ever so slightly. She wanted to comfort Mother, make the dark rings around her eyes go away.

One Eye picked up both her and Mother at the same time, Mother still holding her, and went up the stairs into their room. _So Muja _did not know why One Eye sometimes went away at night to sleep somewhere else. He should just stay here with her and her person. Mother missed him when he went away. Maybe now he would stay and Mother would stay happy.

She allowed herself to be removed from her person's arms long enough for her to get in and out of the shower. Why humans did this was beyond her understanding. It seemed to be enjoyable to them, like when she sat in the sun all day. When Mother came out, One Eye went in to do the same thing. Mother was sitting on the big cushion, petting her when he came out. They were both wearing the clothes used to sleep in.

After much blanket moving, Mother was asleep in her mate's arms, her back to his chest. One Eye was stroking her hair lightly, watching Mother sleep. He looked tired too, though not as badly as Mother did. _So Muja _was glad her person had him for a mate. He had saved her from Bad Man and brought her Home. Now they were all safe and sound. Maybe Mother and One Eye would have babies soon. That would be nice. Plus, One Eye could not leave again when that happened.

He fell asleep as well, giving in to exhaustion. _So Muja _followed his example. Mother would wake up later, and she was so tired. She curled up against Mother and slept contentedly.

**Meanwhile...**

The cell at the end of a hall in a maximum security psychiatric ward was occupied by a very noisy tenant. Screams and howls eminated from within, enough to disturb the other occupants so much that they would join in the screams. They screamed to drown out the voice coming from the last cell. Nothing seemed to silence him. Drugs simply made him more deranged and sedatives brought on worse ramblings than when he was awake.

He would scream endlessly into the night, stopping only to be punctuated by sobs and pleas for mercy. Then they would start again. It was as though something was torturing the man from the inside, ripping his soul to shreds. No outward mark appeared on his body, but any physical touch sent him into howls of agony.

All of the other assorted lunatics were terrified of the man in the last cell. Not one would go near the door, and most of the doctors and nurses made sure to have very strong orderlies with them on the occasions his cell had to be entered.

Then something changed. For over a month, the man had screamed and babbled endlessly at some monster hidden from the rest of the world's view. Now, there was silence. No words or sounds escaped his lips. Nothing but his heavy, erratic breathing disturbed the air. His eyes were filled with a feverish light, and sweat dripped from his face. He rocked back and forth rhythmically, staring at a point in space with a horrifying smile on his face. The doctors could find nothing medicinally wrong with him. They just left him in a straight jacket with shackles around his ankles.

The silence was unnerving. The man in the last cell knew what was coming. No one else would, not until it was too late. The girl, the one with the golden hair and smile, she would die soon. Mardoc demanded it.

**Yeah, I know it's short, but I'm very very sleepy and I wanted to make you feel some suspense. I really don't know what will happen next, so it is leaving me in suspense too. Man am I tired. Stupid job, making me work so much. I pulled like three ten hour days in a row. It sucks. Majorly. **

**So, I'm going to have lots of free time to write soon, so the story will continue as soon as I get some beauty sleep. **

**Thanks for reading this. And Mardoc will be revealed soon. Har will be back in the picture too. So please r&r! **

**tagg**


	18. A Catastrophic Moment

**Ok sea monkeys! I have spent the entire day in bed and I loved it. There is nothing quite like being lazy. Its just so much fun! Do you want to know something sad? I have over 280 hours logged on FFX-2. I only know this because I am playing the game again because I have an entire week of vacation and no money to go anywhere and I happened to see just how many hours I had. I'm thinking I should get a life or something. Nah. I'm having too much fun. Hehe.**

**So, Mr. Helpful is planning something heinous, and this Mardoc guy wants Rikku dead. What is the world coming to? Let us hope the world's cookie reserves are still safe. **

**And to poor Ellie the Ghostie, I hope you get better soon. Being sick both sucks and blows. Oh, and I didn't know that I couldn't get unregistered reviews! I'm so sorry about that. Thanks Kingleby.**

**On a personal note, vertigo sucks. **

**I don't own FFX-2, but if I did, I would find the cure for the common cold! (Chamomile tea with lots of honey in it works wonders, so you might want to try it!) **

Chapter 16: A Catastrophic Moment

It took Rikku two full weeks to recover her strength. Most of that time was spent in her bed, sleeping. Either Gippal or _So Muja_ slept with her, sometimes both. It seemed that Gippal had developed a taste for naps, but only when Rikku was napping with him. He did not really sleep unless she was snuggled against him, so it was just as well. She felt a bit guilty that Gippal spent nearly all of his time with her at the Sun Rose. She was sure that he had things to do that did not involve taking care of her.

At first, Rikku had slept for days on end, waking only to eat and go to the bathroom. Gippal made her eat every time she woke, even when she denyed being hungry. She was just so tired. Eating would take what little energy she had available. He always persevered though. Something found its way into her stomach despite her protests, usually soup or stew or anything sloppy and easily digestable. Then she would go right back to sleep.

Gippal was there whether she was awake or in dream land. It made her feel safe having him near. He had even told her that he would stay here with her until she threw him out. Not that it would ever happen. Rikku wanted him to stay with her. That way he would get plenty of rest and see her happy, shining face when he woke up.

"You realize that I'm never going to let you leave here, right Gippal?"

"Yeah. I know." he said, playing with her hair. She was lying on his chest, enjoying the sound of his heartbeat. "At least, I hope you won't toss me out. I like waking up next to you. You look so cute, drooling on your pillow."

"Hey!" Rikku glared at him, which made him laugh. "That's so mean. Saying I drool...see if you get any blankets tonight, mister!"

"Aw, come on. I thought you liked me being warm. I like me being warm."

"I'm sure you do, lover." she said, laying her head back down so that Gippal could continue stroking her hair. She loved it when he did that. It was so relaxing. "Although you've been behaving yourself too much for my taste."

"I figured you wanted to recover before doing anything strenuous."

"I'd just make you do the hard work."

"Gee, thanks honey-lips. Glad you have such a high opinion of my abilities and stamina."

"You're welcome." _So Muja_ decided to join Rikku in using Gippal as a cushion. She rubbed her head against Rikku's cheek and curled up for a nap.

"What do you guys think I am, a pillow?"

"Well, you have been laying in bed for the last two weeks or so. Maybe you're getting flabby."

"Flabby? FLABBY?! I am not now, nor have I ever been flabby!"

Rikku giggled and pushed herself up to kiss him. He still frowned unhappily at her, so she kissed him again. This erased the 'flabby' comment from his mind and brought all kinds of naughty thought into Rikku's. _So Muja_ decided to abandon her chosen nap spot for another one, probably down in the kitchen.

"Don't you think we should shut the door, baby?" Rikku, who was now straddling him, made a face and grabbed a pillow. With a well aimed throw, the pillow hit the door, shutting it.

"There. The door's shut." she said, leaning back down so that she could continue her earlier occupation. Gippal kissed her hungrily, as though he could not get enough of her. She felt his hands burried in her hair at the base of her neck, pulling her closer to him. Rikku knew that _she_ could not get enough of him. It had been wonderfuly sweet of him to behave for as long as he had, but enough was enough. She was better now.

Her hands were already undressing him, pulling at his shirt so that she could feel the muscular chest under it. She smiled against his lips, delighting at the hot skin that met her fingers. Her touch made Gippal moan and start removing her clothes. This was accomplished quickly because she was eager to be rid of them, and his. Rikku could think of nothing that she wanted more than her bare skin against his.

Rikku found herself on the receiving end of a desperately passionate lover. His need for her was so great he was almost savage. Almost. Gippal would never do anything to hurt her. She knew that and loved him for it. Not that she did not love him already. He just did not know that yet.

Gippal was busy kissing and biting her neck, but Rikku wanted real kisses. She brushed her lips on his cheek, giving him the hint. Always obedient to her wishes, he devoured her lips and tounge. All too soon, Rikku found that she needed to be released from all the sexual tension. Gippal seemed to sense this, and mercilessly brought her to the edge again and again, but not let her go over it. It was too much to bear.

"Bmayca, Gippal, syga sa lno uid ouin hysa. Bmayca." she said between her cries. "E lyh'd cdyht drec yhosuna." Rikku always reverted to Al Bhed when making love to Gippal. She could not help it.

As stated before, Gippal was always obedient to her wishes. The resulting orgasm was so powerful it shook her entire body. Gippal was right behind her. He collapsed on top of her, breathing heavily into her neck. Rikku wrapped her arms around him, one hand running its fingers through his hair. While it was short, it was also very soft. That never ceased to surprise her. She had always thought it would be sort of rough. Sweat made it slick and dark.

"I'm sorry, Rikku. I shouldn't have been so rough with you." he said into her neck, not having the energy at the moment to lift his head and look at her.

"Don't be. If I've been craving you as badly as I have, I can't imagine what you felt like. You gave me just what I wanted." Rikku kissed his forhead, which made him turn to look at her. He did not move other than that. He looked so different without the eye patch. Gippal did not wear it much anymore. He had not gone anywhere to feel the need to wear it. She liked his face so much more with out it.

"I wonder why Elizza and Raas haven't complained about all the noise we generally make."

"All the walls are sound proof. When Raas bought this place, Elizza had had enough of the noise of tinkering machina all day and night, so she made him renovate it and make everything sound proof. Besides, would you really want to hear what people do at inns all the time? We're a prime example."

"That was smart to do." Gippal said, still not moving. "And I know for a fact that we would make just as much noise in a house as an inn. Which means we'll probably have to do the same thing Raas did."

"Are you going to buy me a house, Gippal?" Rikku asked, laughing at the idea yet liking it too much to put it out of mind.

"Sure. Where do you want to live?"

Rikku could not tell if he was joking or serious. His face was serious, but his eyes were dancing with laughter. Her expression must have been very odd because Gippal finally lifted himself up and looked down at her.

"Well? Are you going to answer or not? Or don't you want to live with me?" Gippal gave her his most pathetic look, knowing that she could not resist it, just like he could not resist hers.

"Of course I do! But that's not something you should tease me about and get all my hopes up."

"I'm not teasing you. You want a house, I'll get you one. Unless you want an apartment with paper thin walls so we can annoy your neighbors. I'd prefer a house. Have a real home."

"A home. That would be nice. Can I have a big flower garden?"

"You can have anything you want, _so raynd. _All you have to do is ask. So I take it I can buy you one?"

"Yes. Yes you can." Rikku said, giving him a curious look. "What else are you going to ask me out of the blue?"

"Well, I could totally freak you out and ask you to marry me, but I think I'll wait until I have a sphere recorder ready to tape your reaction." Gippal said, chuckling at Rikku's expression. "Or I could ask you what kind of cheese you would be if you could be cheese. Squeeze cheese is not allowed as an answer. That stuff isn't real cheese."

"Blah. I hate squeeze cheese. Cheese isn't supposed to be squeezable. Unlike me, who was just made for being hugged and kissed and spoiled in general."

"You are already spoiled, and I can think of a lot more things to do to you than just hugs and kisses..."

"I'll bet you have all kinds of filthy, unclean thoughts running through that head of yours." she said, giving him a smile that was just on the safe side of seductive.

"Sure do." Rikku laughed and pulled him bodily down against her, kissing him senseless. Gippal gave her all of his attention and then some. They had to stop for air eventually. Gippal was grinning at her like an idiot.

"What's that grin for?"

"Nothing. Just thinking about how lucky I am to have you."

"You sure are one lucky guy. I'm glad you came to your senses when you did."

"Me too." He sighed, getting a curious look from Rikku. "I've got to go see Har tonight."

"Har? What for?" she asked, frowning.

"I've got to pay him for helping track that lunatic down."

Rikku shivered. Her memories were a little foggy, but the few clear ones she had of that night were terrifying. Being buried alive is not something one has fond memories of. Being rescued, now, is another story. Rikku had known all along that Gippal would come for her. Whether she would still be alive when he got there was another question. If he had arrived too late, at least she would have had a proper burial. Gippal would probably have ended up in prison for killing Mr. Helpful, and Raas and Elizza would be miserable and close the Sun Rose for good.

Fortunately for her, Gippal had arrived in time, and not needed to kill Mr. Helpful. He had told her about wanting to do it, but felt the need to find her alive more important than killing him. All she remembered was being in darkness, with the walls of her enclosure horribly close and confining. Then there was a noise, and a light. A voice called out to her, one she recognized, and she turned her head to the light and the voice. The next thing she knew, every meal she had eaten for the past week (which was a lot) had been torn from her stomach. A pair of strong arms held her shaking body; the smell of the person holding her was comforting. Then her mind cleared and realized it was Gippal holding her, and crying into her hair. Gippal was _crying_. Never in her wildest dreams had she thought he would cry over her. This caused her to momentarily forget the recent events, not that she had a clear recollection of anything after the drug in the dart took effect. Rikku knew she looked like hell. Her eyes felt like they were burned into her head and her muscles did not want to obey her commands. She was just exhausted, mentally and physically.

Gippal took her out of that hideous place and tried to save her the grief of having to relive it, but the police were already there. They question both her and Gippal. They also tried to take her away, to question her alone. That seriously scared Rikku and pissed Gippal off. Needless to say it did not work like they wanted it to. For some reason, they just could not believe she did not remember what had happened. Not until they found the dart containing a powerful muscle relaxer that had been outlawed for use on humans.

The idiots kept persisting, saying they needed evidence. Gippal got pissed again and told them to tear the walls of the secret room apart so that they could find all the rest of the bodies. After that, they were free to go. A doctor gave her a clean bill of health, but stated that she must do nothing but rest until she felt unable to bear being in bed for another minute. Rikku liked this doctor. He made sense.

While Gippal had to go and give statements and other such nonsense, it was the only time he had left her side for more than a minute. She knew he had left, and felt so afraid at being alone she started crying. Elizza had heard her weak sobs and rocked her in her arms like a baby. Elizza had been beyond upset that Rikku had taken such harm, and touched that she was still staying with them at the Sun Rose. Only when he came back did she sleep again.

"Oh. You won't be long, will you?"

"Nah. Just need to meet him and leave. I'll be back before you know it."

Gippal brushed an errant strand of hair from her face. Actually, all her hair was errant, just some was more so than others. She was very glad indeed when Gippal made good on his promise to brush it for her. Not all the time, but enough to make it a treat.

"Good. You need to make us some reservations at Vinito's again. I want to wear that green dress you bought me."

"I guess. I do need to show you off, don't I? Maybe the men will be able to not stare at you like a bunch of teenage boys just learning the wonder of 'girls'. I swear, half the reason we left so quickly was because those jerks kept picturing you naked."

Rikku threw her head back and laughed. It was so like Gippal to get upset at someone's thoughts about her.

"I think they were getting even with their dates. All the women were drooling over you, you know."

"And that didn't bother you?"

"You were there with me, not them. Why be bothered about it?"

"I wish I could think like that. Men have dirty minds, baby. I know what I was thinking when I laid eyes on you that night. Therefore I knew what they were thinking."

"And what were you thinking?" Rikku asked innocently. "That I looked just heavenly, all for you?"

"That too. Mostly I was thinking about how much fun it would be to get you out of that dress and in my bed." he said, making her laugh again. "It was a good thing I was pretending to be a gentleman for you." Gippal stroked her cheek lightly, bringing a contented sigh from Rikku. "Speaking of food, are you hungry? Because I am."

"Yup yup! All that hard work you did gave me an appitite." This time Gippal laughed. Once decently dressed, they headed down to the kitchen to see what delicacies Elizza had cooked up. Rikku knew that Gippal was worried about her. She had lost a lot of weight over the past weeks. Even though she had gained some of it back, it was not enough by his standards. So he took evey opportunity to stuff her with food until she felt like bursting. Elizza was in on the conspiracy and kept a yummy and tantalizing stock of goodies for her. There was an entire shelf in the refrigerator dedicated to holding food for her.

Rikku was still thinking about what she was in the mood for when she heard very familiar voices coming from the kitchen. Elizza and Raas were present, but there were others in there too. Entering the kitchen quickly, she and Gippal found the table already occupied. It was none other than Wakka, Lulu and Vidina. They looked up at her entrance and immediate squeal of delight. Wakka laughed and Lulu just smiled, holding a squirming Vidina in her arms.

"Vidina!" The baby looked around when he heard Rikku's voice, and his eyes found her running to the table toward him. He emitted a squeal remarkably like Rikku's earlier one when she gathered him in her arms. "You missed me, didn't you sweetums?" She laughed and started 'flying' him through the air. Vidina, enjoying this emensly, laughed and gooed every moment of it. Pulling him down so that he could get a hug and kisses, Rikku did not even notice the foolish grin that tugged at Gippal's lips. "Auntie Rikku missed you too! Have you been loud and ill mannered for Daddy? Have you?" Vidina gooed again, earning more kisses from Rikku.

"I'll say. That kid's been channeling you ever since you left!" Wakka said, turning to his wife for validation of that fact.

"He has. Although not as ill mannered as you are, Rikku." Lulu's soft voice was suffused with humor. She smiled fondly at Rikku, again thinking about what a good mother she would be.

"Hey! I'm not ill mannered. Can you believe what your Mummy and Daddy just said, Vidina? Imagine them saying that when they want me to baby-sit you! Humph." Rikku sat down at the table next to Gippal, who had seated himself while she was helping Vidina 'fly'. His head was being held up by a hand that was attached to the elbow resting on the table. He still had that foolish grin on his face.

"You still adore kids, I see."

"Don't say that in front of the baby!" Rikku said, putting her hands over his ears. "It would hurt his feelings to know I like other kids!"

"You are too much, Cid's girl."

"You like kids too! What's the big deal?" she asked, receiving only a head shake for an answer. "Big meanie. You still love me, don't you Vidina? You won't let their poor opinions of Auntie Rikku ruin our relationship, will you?" Vidina giggled and clutched at her shirt. "Glad to hear it."

Rikku continued to fuss and play with Vidina until dinner was on the table. Even then she would eat and play with him. Gippal rolled his eyes, and tapped her shoulder. When she turned to look at him, with a smile that absolutely turned his heart into fluff, he motioned for her to hand over Vidina. The baby looked at Gippal then, and held out his little arms toward him. Rikku feigned a scowl and reluctantly handed Vidian over to him.

"Don't you know you shouldn't play at the table? Talk about being ill mannered." he said, giving Rikku a significant look. She knew it ment she had to eat before he would let her have Vidina back in her arms. With a sigh, Rikku fell to with gusto. She really was hungry. Gippal was now playing with the baby, earning very surprised looks from everyone gathered at the table. Rikku smiled to herself. Not many people knew how good Gippal was with children. It was a well guarded secret of his.

"Never thought the Machine Faction Leader would be the fatherly type." Raas said around a mouthful of his dinner.

"Fatherly? Who are you kidding? I just like to play with kids. And be able to give them back to the parents when they start fussing."

Rikku choked on her drink, and snuck a look at Lulu. She had that 'I told you so' look on her face and then turned her bemused eyes back to Gippal playing with her son. He gave her an odd look, and then returned his attention to Vidina.

"Yeah, right. And I'm a son of a shoopuf. I bet your as good with a fussy baby as Rikku, ya?" Wakka said.

"You hear that kiddo? They think I'd be a good father. What a disturbing thought." Gippal said. He turned back to Rikku, who had choked on her drink again. "What's so funny?" It was Rikku's turn to shake her head and smile.

"Okay, I'm done. Gimme the baby." Rikku said, showing off a nearly polished-looking plate.

"You've still got dessert to work on, Rikku. Speaking of which, I want some too. What'd you concoct for us this evening Eliza -the-most-wonderful-dessert-and-breakfast-chef-in-all-Spira?"

"A nice fruit and brownie triffle. You can give your share of the brownies to Rikku, dear. I know you don't care for sweets overmuch."

Rikku felt herself begin to drool at the mention of a double helping of brownie. It was yet another thing to brighten her day. Dessert was finished in record time for Rikku, double helping of brownies and all. Soon, she had Vidina happily cooing and giggling in her lap.

Elizza suggested that they adjurn to the living room/lobby, where they could all be more comfortable. Eveyone agreed and began filing out of the kitchen. All except Wakka and Gippal. Wakka had held him back from the others. Gippal gave him a curious look.

"What happened to Rikku? That woman's cooking is too good for her to be so thin."

"You should have seen what she looked like before..." Gippal sighed. "She's just starting to recover. I mean really recover. So don't go asking her about it. She has enough nightmares already with out have to relive it."

"Fine, but you're telling me what happened."

Gippal sighed and sat back down at the table. Wakka joined him, watching him rub his face with his hands. He looked at the door leading out of the kitchen, debating what he should and should not say to Wakka. The man obviously cared about her, but he was not sure she would want him to know.

"Someone tried to kill her."

"Been done before. What's different about this time?"

"Did you ever hear about the missing girls of Luca?" Wakka nodded. It had been all over the news and still was.

"Yeah, some nutcase kidnapped and killed a bunch of girls, burried them under his house."

"That nutcase didn't just bury them, Wakka. They were buried alive, drugged so that they couldn't move or speak or even try to escape. He thought that doing so would bring some god or another back into existence. The 'god' needed their souls to get into our world. Rikku was supposed to be the last one he needed to get here."

"You telling me that he took her? And you didn't do anything about it?"

"Don't start with me, Wakka." Gippal let his voice show the anger that still lived inside him. It startled the older man, but did not make him waver or back down. "I wasn't here when he took her. I had just gotten back in town from Djose. I got her back, safe and sound. The psycho desk clerk is in a max security cell. Bastard's lucky I didn't kill him on sight."

"Why didn't you, then?"

"Because I didn't want to kill him until after I had found out what he'd done to her. So I'd know just how much to hurt him before he died." Gippal paused. "Don't give me that look. You can't tell me that you wouldn't do the same if it had been your wife."

"Ya, ya. You got a point." Wakka sat down opposite him at the table. "But that guy's locked up now, right?"

"Yeah." Gippal looked out the window, noting that is had gotten dark already. "Look, don't ask her about it. I really don't want to see her crying again."

"Sure." Wakka looked disturbed at the recent revelations. "But Rikku's okay, right? Besides being traumatized, I mean."

"She's as well as can be expected." Gippal looked out the window again, frowning in thought. "Anyway, let's get out of here before they come searching."

"WAKKA! VIDINA'S CRAWLING!" This was Rikku, yelling through the door. Wakka rushed out of the kitchen to see the spectacle. Little Vidina was crawling toward _So Muja_, apparently thinking the kitten was some furry, moving toy. She stayed just out of his reach, examining him carefully. When he couldn't get close to her, Vidina started crying with frustration. "Aw, poor baby! Wait! I know!" Rikku ran up the stairs two at a time to her room. She was rushing back down with something held in her hands. "Here you go, Vidina. This kitty won't run away from you." She held her Luna doll out to him, which he took gleefully.

Everyone was making a big to-do, fussing over the baby; who was trying to stuff the doll into his mouth. Gippal thougth he might just be able to do it with enough time. He went over to Rikku, touching her shoulder gently. She looked up at him with that fluff-generating smile again. He stroked her cheek gently, smiling back at her.

"I'll be back." he said, and started walking to the door. He knew Rikku did not want him to leave, but she would be safe enough with Raas and two former guardians. Not to mention her cat. Gippal looked back at the room, drinking in the happy scene. It was something out of a holiday greeting card. All it needed was some decorations.

He turned back to the door and opened it, finding someone standing there he did not expect to see. Har. The man pushed him back inside and bolted the door behind him. Raas looked up at the sound, and growled something when he saw Har standing in his doorway. Everyone else looked up, including Rikku, who paled a bit at seeing Har.

"We've got a problem, Machine Man."

"It'd better be a good one for you to be in my home, Har." Raas had walked over to them, arms crossed and not looking very happy.

"Psycho desk clerk escaped, boys." Har said.

Both Raas and Gippal cursed, turning back to the women huddled around Vidina. Rikku walked over to Gippal, grabbing his shirt lightly, face pale and frightened. She knew what was wrong, even if she had not heard Har say it. The look on Gippal's face was confirmation enough.

"I won't let him hurt you again, _so raynd_." he said, his arms pulling her trembling body close and holding her tightly. She hid her face against his chest. She did not want it to be true. "I should have killed him when I had the chance..."

"Elizza, take our guests to the third floor." Raas said, going over to a wooden panel on the wall. He opened it, revealing several weapons, most of them guns. He took one out and handed it to Elizza. Apparently she knew how to use it, because she accepted it with a sure hand.

"What's going on? Who's out? And why did you just give her a gun?" Lulu, holding Vidina in her arms was advancing on them.

"Lu, take Vidina and go with Elizza. You're going up there too, Rikku."

"No." Her response shocked everyone. "It's me he wants. I won't let Vidina get hurt because of me. He'll leave them alone if he finds me first."

**Oooo, another cliff hanger! Am I evil or what? Hehe. Anywho, I hope you like it! I'll see about getting another update this weekend. All this free time and what happens? Writer's block. I can't decide how or what to do next. Oh well. **

**R&R please! And thanks for reading this even if you don't review it. I want you to review it, but I want you to read it more than I need reviews. They are nice though. **

**tagg**


	19. Mardoc the Sun Bob er, God

**Do you sea monkeys know just how much writer's block sucks? I bet you do. I've gotten to the point that I might just post the second half of "Dining With the Enemy" that I didn't like. I still don't like it. Oh well. So instead of working on this, I have been working on my vampire story. I know, I know. I'm a bad tagg! **

**Let's see what I can come up with. **

**I don't own FFX-2, but if I did, I would soooo bring Auron back into the scene. That guy just kicked ass. Too bad he's not real. That is so my type of man. Hehe. **

Chapter 17: Mardoc, the Sun Bob, er, God

"You have absolutely one minute to tell me what is going on." Lulu was not in a pleasant mood. No one was, really. She was glaring, and Lulu glaring was very…unpleasant to say the least. Being a very powerful black mage made her some one not to piss off. One just might get a bit singed.

"Girl's in danger, lady." Har answered. He looked like he would like to have a cigarette quite badly at that moment. "The madman that killed a bunch of girls here wants her dead."

It was a simple enough explanation. It gave Lulu a reason as to Rikku's weight loss, which had been bothering her considerably. She had not asked because it had not seemed appropriate at the time.

"And you're going to put yourself out as bait. Don't be stupid, Rikku."

"You don't understand, Lulu. When…when he took me, I stabbed him in the leg with a kitchen knife. One of the big ones. All the way to the hilt. It didn't faze him. He just…kept on going like nothing was wrong. Like it had been a splinter or something." Rikku's voice was small and quiet. It disturbed the people listening to hear the normally loud and jubilant Rikku sound like that. "And his eyes…" she shuddered at the memory. Gippal tightened his hold on Rikku. "They weren't right. I swear they were glowing. Like…like when Shuyin took over Barali's body. It was like that. Just…worse."

"Anyway, ladies and germs, you need to get that kid somewhere safe and get her out of harms way. You really don't want to mess with this guy. Killed three nurses and four orderlies with his bare hands. Ripped their throuts out. Very messy. He hasn't been out long, but he's probably on his way here." Har said, bringing the attention away from the poor trembling girl in Gippal's arms.

Lulu handed Vidina to Elizza, telling her to take him upstairs. Wakka was about to protest, but subsided when he received a glare. Elizza did as she was told, taking a now crying Vidina away from his parents. When Lulu turned her attention back to the others, she was stopped from talking by _So Muja_'s hiss and following yowl near the front windows.

"What is it, cat?" Another hiss came from the kitten. "Something out th-"

The sound of something hitting the door very hard interrupted Raas' question. His opinion of the cat had grown steadily, which was why he asked her what was wrong. The door thudded again, this time harder and louder. Something reminiscent of a growl came from outside, although it was a human sounding growl. Lulu had a spell ready and was retreating to the stair case. She was not about to let anything happen to her son because she was not close enough to do anything to help him. Raas was motioning Gippal to take Rikku upstairs despite her earlier protests.

Before he got her halfway there, one of the small side light windows crashed open. A fist, lacerated from the knuckles to the forearm, was fumbling around with the door handle and bolt. Jagged pieces of glass still attached to the window frame tore long gashes in the flesh of the arm while it threw the bolt open. The fist pulled out and the door opened abruptly, banging on the wall and bouncing back quickly. It was halted by an outstretched hand attached to the lacerated arm.

Mr. Helpful, the psychotic desk clerk himself, was standing in the door way of the Sun Rose. He was wearing what looked like very thin pajamas; drying blood stains covered most of the fabric. The new blood oozing from the arm was mixing with the older (relatively) stains. It was in his hair, too. Black and matted to his head in places while in others it stuck out, all of it glistening with a sickening sheen. He was panting raggedly, like he had just run the entire Mi'hein Highroad in record time. The most disturbing thing was his eyes. They did indeed glow slightly, as Rikku had said. They stared with intensity directly at Rikku, barely noting the presense of the others in the lobby. They were a mere hinderance at getting the girl.

Unfortunately for him, he dismissed Lulu and the ludicrously powerful fire spell she held ready. Lulu had not truly believed Rikku when she spoke of the man that had taken her. Now she did. It was not right in every sense of the word. Those eyes staring at Rikku, only Rikku, were inhuman. She yelled for everyone to get out of harms way, and let loose her spell. She aimed it to throw the man backwards and out of the inn. The man had started to advance, and took the full force of the fire spell in the chest. He was not expecting it at all. It did indeed throw Mr. Helpful out of the door with a flash of light and flames dancing about in the wake of the spell's path.

He was thrown into the street, howling in agony as the flames scorched and devoured his skin. People were peaking out of their windows, wondering what had happened. They quickly left the grizzly scene that greeted them. No one wanted to watch someone burn to death.

Lulu, another spell at the ready, slowly walked out into the street, followed by Raas and Wakka, weapons in hand. Mr. Helpful was writhing and beginning to scream. He was about to be put out of his misery, but he suddenly came upright, glaring at the group in front of him. He grabbed some of the flames that were searing his flesh and hurled them at Lulu and the others.

No one should be able to take an already existing spell and turn it to their own use. Perhaps the fayth could have done so, but not anything still in this world could. It was not a reflect spell, so no one could figure out what happened to let Mr. Helpful do such a thing.

Everyone fell to the side when the flames came back at them. Hitting the hard cement steps combined with the impossible sight they had just witnessed left them shocked. Mr. Helpful took advantage of this, leaping to the steps in a single bound. He was poised to take another leap that would take him inside when he found himself looking down the barrel of a large, black gun. Said gun fired, putting a bullet in his head point blank. Mr. Helpful fell backwards, sliding down the steps. He left a trail of what can only be described as 'ooze' and burned flesh behind him.

The man was still twitching, trying to get up again. He found the gun barrel in his face yet again, and was finally put out of his misery with four more shots to the head. Mr. Helpful, lay still, the only sound coming from him was the crackle of his skin burning.

Gippal, who was the owner of the afore mentioned gun, looked down impassively at the body of Mr. Helpful. His gun was still aimed at the burning mass of flesh, waiting to make sure the job was done. Raas and the others went over to the scene, none of them believing that Gippal had just killed someone. The someone had been hell bent on killing and harming his girlfriend and probably hurting the other people present; but he had still killed him.

Lulu found it hard to accept that the same young man that had played happily with her baby, and played happily with Rikku, was standing before her. He had been so gentle with Rikku, despite his teasing. She knew it was not just because of what had happened to Rikku. Yuna had told her about Rikku getting a real boyfriend. One that really meant something to her. Gippal's attitude was completely loving toward Rikku. She privately wondered if the had already eloped or would do so in the near future.

"You can put your gun away, boss man." Raas said.

"He's still twitching Raas." Gippal nodded his head at the body on the sidewalk. Upon closer investigation, Raas saw that Mr. Helpful was indeed twitching; but not in death throws. This was something else. All of a sudden, the body jerked. The head was thrown back and the throut began moving, almost as if a creature was seeking to escape.

The mouth opened, and what looked like a tiny hand emerged, using the lower lip to pull the rest of the body out. What emerged was an impish creature. It had yellow, squinty eyes that glowed the same way Mr. Helpful's had. The body was orange and thin, like you could break it like a toothpick. It jumped down from the chin it had stood on, and landed on the pavement. It jumped up and down, throwing a tantrum, yelling and screaming and spitting at them.

None understood what was said, and gave the tiny creature very odd glances. That was until Gippal stepped on it, crushing and grinding the thing like it was an insect. He proceeded to wipe the residue of 'unknown-evil-thing' off of his boot. He looked at his boot, and decided to put the sole of it in the flames that were still in existence on Mr. Helpful. Once satisfied that all traces of the Thing were gone, he turned to Lulu.

"Burn it." was all he said, turning and walking back into the Sun Rose, putting his gun back in its holster. Lulu shook herself slightly, and did as she was told. She would have done so anyway. Fire was the easiest way to cleanse the world of evil. She watched as the body turned to pyre flies, only then extinguishing the flames.

Har, who had stayed behind with Rikku, looked up at Gippal's entrance. He moved away from Rikku, who hurridly flung herself into Gippal's arms. Tears streamed down her face, but no sobs were audible.

"He can't hurt you or anyone else now. Don't worry."

Rikku nodded and clung to him. She knew he had been the one to fire the gun. His gun had a very unique sound when shot. He had let her try it out once, but she found the kick-back was too strong for her. He had killed that crazy bastard who had come for her. Rikku was grateful to him. She was safe again. Really and truly safe. No more worries about sounds in the night or looking over her shoulder.

Soon, the sounds of police officers were audible. Har did not look worried at them finding him here at the scene of a crime. Raas poked his head in the door, eyebrow raised in a silent question at Har.

"We were having a nice dinner party when that guy with a screw loose came barging in. Very rude of him, wasn't it?"

Raas nodded and withdrew his head to tell the others. Soon, police were swarming everywhere. All of them asking question they already knew the answers to. They were just trying to make it look like they had everything under control. Rikku, who had stayed inside the whole time, was exempt from much questioning. Gippal, on the other hand, was not.

'You were the one who fired the gun? Who set him on fire? The woman did, the black mage. Why did you shoot him? There were enough of you to take him down.' This continued for some time, making everyone involved with it irritable and angry. Especially Gippal. He was ready to tell them to shove it when a whirlwind in human form came into the room. The whirlwind came directly to where Gippal was. He still had Rikku in his arms. She had refused to go upstairs with Elizza and Vidina.

The human whirlwind revealed itself as none other than Rikku's father, Cid. He marched right up to where the couple was standing, and then told the officer with all of the idiotic questions to go away. This, needless to say, astonished Gippal and Rikku. The officer protested, and caught the attention of the highest ranking policeman there. High-ranking Guy got all huffy and tried to bully Cid away. That was not a smart thing to do. No one told Cid what to do.

"You shut up before you say anything else stupid." High-ranking Guy opened his mouth, which was full of nothing but hot air, saying that there was an investigation going on and he had better leave now or be arrested for trying to bungle things. "What investigation?! You idiots aren't doing jack-shit! You people have been the ones messing up. You KNEW that someone was kidnapping, and most likely murdering young women in Luca. You KNEW and didn't say anything. Didn't warn the public. The reputation of you and your precious city is worth more than a human life! You KNEW that nut-ball would never stay locked up. You people put the life of my daughter and how many other people in jeopardy just to keep your noses clean!" High-ranking Guy stuttered something, but was cut off again. "You have your reports. Clean up that mess on the sidewalk, and get your sorry asses out of here! And you better hope to hell that you still got jobs tomorrow, cause all hell's going break loose with your higher-ups!"

High-ranking Guy abruptly shut his mouth, which was the first intelligent thing he had done so far, and turned on his heel, yelling for everyone to clean up and leave. Cid, standing with his arms crossed over his chest, had a very smug look on his face. It disappeared when he looked to where his daughter was standing with Gippal.

"You alright, _bisgueh_?" Cid had not called her 'pumpkin' in years. Not since her mother had died. She nodded, not quite believing that her father had just chased away the police after what he had said to her a few months ago. He had all but disowned her. "Good. Look, I'm sorry I went overboard with you. Wasn't right for me to do. You're just too much like your mother for your own good, I guess."

"Yeah, well I'm still mad about that. So don't think you're getting off the hook so easily, just cause you made those dumb guys leave us alone." Rikku said, half smiling at Cid. She was not about to leave the safety of Gippal's arms any time soon. Cid seemed to know that and just nodded. Rikku had been through too much to do anything else but stand there. "Why the sudden change of heart, Pop?"

"I remembered what Risa's (ok, so I don't know Rikku's mom's name. Gimme a break!) father told her when she said she was going to marry me, and it was almost the same thing as I said. She never forgave him for that, not even when you and your brother were born. He had tried to apologize a few years later, but I guess she just couldn't do it. It's the only time she was ever truly angry."

"Come on, let's go upstairs. They might try to worm their way back in if we stay in their view for much longer." Gippal said, moving to the stairs with Rikku in tow. He gave Cid a questioning look. Cid shook his head, and went to the door to glare at the remaining officers cleaning up the sidewalk. Gippal glared at his back, then continued up the stairs after Rikku. She was still shaking a little, so he squeezed her hand tightly. She turned her head and smiled at him. It was a little smile, but a smile none the less. She led the way to the room they shared. He always meant to ask if she wanted it to herself again, but he never did. He figured she would just shove him out when she wanted some privacy. She never did that either.

Rikku kicked off her shoes as soon as they entered. It was a ritual for her. She said that it made her feel at home where ever she was. Gippal followed her example, though his boots took more effort to remove than her shoes. He could just kick them off, but it damaged the boots, not to mention his own two feet.

Rikku was already pulling her hair down, removing pins and such in a startling quantity. _I wonder just how many of those pins she loses in a month. And how can she find them in her hair like that? It would take me ages to do that. _She then plopped down on the bed, waiting for him to finish removing his boots. The now bootless Gippal went over to Rikku, and sat next to her. She leaned against him, twining both of her arms around one of his own.

"Rikku…" She looked up at him, wondering at his tone of voice. "You know I killed him, right?" Gippal was staring at the floor, not wanting to know if she was now afraid of him, but needing to find out.

"Yes."

"Does it bother you? Knowing there's blood on my hands?"

Rikku took first one hand, then the other, and looked at them on both sides. Then she kissed each one gently and turned his head to look at her.

"There's nothing wrong with your hands, Gippal. And I'm not about to be afraid of you for protecting me." Her words eased the weight he had felt in his chest since he had pulled the trigger. "Just think, you're the only man alive that I've ever let play 'over-protective-male' to me. You should be honored." Gippal laughed softly, letting out most of his tension.

"I am." He ran a hand through her hair, watching a blissful smile emerge on her face. "Are you tired, _so ryaynd_?"

"Yeah, but I don't think I could sleep right now even if I tried. Can't we just lay here for a while?"

"Anything you want Rikku, anything you want."

So there they were, lying on a comfortable bed, snug and warm, when a soft 'mew' came from the door. Rikku got up to let _So Muja_ in. She picked up her kitten, nuzzling her face against the soft fur. _So Muja_ purred happily. Rikku went back to the bed, her kitten still in her arms.

"I can't believe I'm jealous of a cat."

Rikku laughed at Gippal, then snuggled herself against him. She was laying on her right side with her head against Gippal's chest. The kitten was still held in her left hand. She too was using him as a pillow. She let out a contented 'meow' and enjoyed being stroked and petted by Rikku.

"Are you really going to buy me a house?" she asked after a short period of silence.

"Yes. Did you think I was joking or something?"

"Well, kind of. You DO like to tease me a lot." Gippal chuckled at her, earning a glare from both Rikku and her cat. "Although most people would get married before buying a house for someone."

"So you want to marry me first, then? Or do you want to wait for a while?"

Rikku lifted her head to look him in the eyes. There was not much to see, considering the lights were all out. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah."

"You really want to marry me?"

"Yes, silly girl, I want to marry you. But as I said before, I wanted to wait until I could have a sphere recorder rigged to tape your expression when I asked you." Gippal sighed and shook his head when her face did not change. "Get up for a minute." Rikku complied, but _So Muja_ 'meowed' unhappily at being moved. He was rummaging about in one of his bags. Rikku wondered why, since most of his stuff was intermingled with her own in drawers and the closet. He came back holding something small in his hand. Gippal turned on the bed side lamp before once again assuming the role of pillow. He opened the box and pulled out something shiny and sparkly.

Removing her left hand from her kitten's fur, he slid a delicate gold ring on her finger. The band was thin gold, and turned into two separate leaves at the top. Three small emeralds were sandwiched between the leaves.

"It's gorgeous…"

"I should hope so, considering I paid a lot of gil for it." Rikku looked up from the bauble on her finger to look at him. "It's a promise ring. So you'd better expect me to pop the question when you least expect it."

Rikku gazed at her ring again before sitting up and happily kissing Gippal.

"So I take it you like it?"

"Oh gods yes! Where'd you find it? I haven't seen anything like this in the shops here in Luca."

"I saw it at Djose, and I just had to get it for you. It reminded me of your eyes." Rikku blushed scarlet and went back to looking at her hand. "Good thing you like it. It means the pretty baubles I bought with it will go well with that green dress you're going to wear next time we go out."

"You got me something else?! Gippal, that's too much gil to spend on-" Gippal placed a finger over her lips, making her be quiet.

"You are worth that and a hell of a lot more, Rikku. I told you at the beginning I would spoil you rotten and that it would cost me a fortune. I enjoy buying you things. So quit complaining."

He removed his finger and received another kiss for his trouble. Rikku snuggled back against him and stared at her ringed hand while it petted _So Muja_. There was a rather silly grin plastered on her face. Gippal had a similar one as well. If cats could smile, _So Muja_ would have one too.

**Ok, kind of lame but the whole evil-unknown-thingy will be kind of explained soon. Writers block seriously sucks. Anywho, sorry this took so long. I tried to finish it Thusrday, but I had too much turkey and too much wine so I fell asleep instead of writing this. (tagg hangs head in shame) **

**Scroll on down and hit the little 'go!' button and make tagg a very happy person. I giggle like a little school girl when I get reviews and it inspires me to write more. **

**Thanks for reading! Hope you like it. **

**tagg**


	20. Something Wicked that way Went

**Ok sea monkeys! So, there was the revelation of 'evil-unknown-Thingy' and Rikku has a pretty new ring on her finger. Although, I don't remember which hand a promise ring goes on. I'm pretty sure that it's the left, but I'm probably wrong. Never was good at that kind of stuff. Hell, I can't even remember what I did this morning, so how can you expect me to know which hand it goes on? Hehe. **

**Thank you reviewer type people! **

**On a sad note, I am going to try and wrap this up soon. But not too soon. I just don't know where to end it. I mean, this could go on forever. Seriously, it could. I have that strong of an imagination to go years into the future of these guys. **

**I don't own FFX-2, but I really want to meat the guy Gippal was made to look like. Or even the voice actor. I like his voice. Almost as much as Spider from Powerman 5000 and Michael Buble. They just make me want to swoon. Yes, SWOON!**

Chapter 18: Something Wicked that way Went

The police had finally left the Sun Rose. Everyone was relaxing, reveling in the peaceful silence that had settled over the building. The only who got any real sleep was Vidina. He was in his mother's arms, completely oblivious to the world around him.

Raas and Cid had stayed up most of the night, doing make-shift repairs to the broken window and chasing away the last of the authorities. Elizza had shooed Lulu and Wakka up to their rooms. Like Rikku, they felt no need to stay anywhere else. There was nothing wrong with the Sun Rose.

True to her word, Rikku had been unable to sleep. Gippal had stayed up with her. Most of the time they just laid there, not talking, but enjoying each others company and the comfort that came with it. Rikku kept her eyes on the beautiful ring that adorned her left hand. She thought that if she took her eyes from it, it would dissappear. The few times she did close her eyes, the ring stayed where it was, and she was still safely held in Gippal's arms. _So Muja_ was no longer using Gippal as a pillow. She had opted to lay against the curve of Rikku's back.

_A promise ring…I never thought I would get one of these. _Rikku thought with wonder. _I never thought Gippal would do something so blatently…sweet. What a way to get my mind off things. Me, ME, getting married someday to Gippal of all people! Two months ago I would have scoffed at the idea of us even being together. Scoffed, and then drooled over it in my imagination for days on end just thinking of what it would be like to be his actual girlfriend. Now he's all mine. MINE! Hehe._

"What are you giggling at, sweetness?"

"Huh?" she said, not realizing that her mental giggle had been out loud. "Just thinking."

"About…?"

"The fact that I never thought I would get to have you, and now you're all mine. It makes me giddy. The ring helps too." Rikku giggled again, turning her head to look at Gippal. He had turned the light out a few hours ago, so there was nothing but the feint light from the moon dancing about the room. She could just see the out line of his face and the shine of his eyes.

"I like you so much more with out the eye patch, Gippal."

"You're in the minority there. Most people stare and then try not to stare but keep doing it anyway. It bothers me to be stared at like some freak show."

"I like seeing both of your eyes."

"Too bad I can only see out of one of them." He paused for a moment before continuing. "Although the eye patch gives me that whole dashing-pirate look women love so much." Gippal chuckled at Rikku's light punch in the stomach. "Well it does. Though I won't need to wear it now that I'm happily committed to you. The ladies will be so distraught…"

"You are SO conceited!"

"And you are the reason I'm like that. What with you giving out such wonderful praise for my performance in bed." This made the both of them smile. "To think you doubted my abilities earlier."

"I stand corrected then. What will you dole out as punishment for my lack of faith?"

"Hmmm.." Gippal pondered the question for a few moments. "You have to spend the rest of your life loving me. How about that?"

"That doesn't seem like a bad idea. But how'd you know?"

"Know what, baby?" he asked, playing with her hair once again.

"That I love you."

"Instinct. Pure, unadulterated instinct." he waited while Rikku gave him a 'look'. "That and you mumble in your sleep."

Rikku's cheeks burned bright red. She thought that he would be able to see them glowing in the dark. _Great, so now I talk in my sleep. What else did I say that is potentially embarrassing?_

"That you want to be stuck on an island with the only food source of cookies and milk and is inhabited by warrior gummi-bears that hunt down cocoa-bean eating monkeys and that ninjas wear pink bunny slippers when they are on an important mission."

A groan eminated from Rikku, making Gippal laugh rather loudly. She eventually laughed with him, thinking about ninjas and gummi-bears and eating nothing but cookies all day long. They quickly toned it down, not wanting to disturb Lulu and Wakka.

"You know I love you too, right Rikku?"

"MmmmHmmm. Since you were seven years old."

"You were eavesdropping, weren't you? Bad Rikku. Very bad."

Rikku giggled softly allowing him to ruffle her hair. He would brush it out for her in the morning.

"So why age seven? Didn't girls have cooties then?"

"Remember when my parents died?" he said softly, smoothing her hair back down with his fingers. Rikku nodded, sobering at the memories that came to mind. "Well, I was so, alone. No one felt like I did. Everyone just felt sorry for me. Then you came along with this big plate, carrying a cake. It wasn't that pretty to look at. You said that you'd made it for me, cause I looked so sad. I told you I didn't want it and to leave me alone. Instead of doing it like everyone else did, you grabbed a handful of cake and shoved into my mouth, saying 'I didn't make Daddy stand over me in the kitchen while I made it for nothing! EAT!'."

"Because I made you a cake, you fell in love with me."

"No. It was because you cared enough not to leave me alone when I really wanted to just sit there and cry on someone's shoulder. So I cried and ate your cake. Which was good, by the way." This elected a smile from Rikku. It had been her first baking attempt by herself, so she had not been sure it was really good or not until tasting it. "You made me go out and play, even enduring the endless teasing and torment from all the boys for making me a cake."

"Until you beat the ever-living snot out of the boy who stole my favorite toy, saying I wouldn't get it back until he got a better cake than you did."

"That really pissed me off. I wasn't about to let anyone else get a cake from you. And taking your cactuar plushie was plain mean."

Rikku giggled, remembering how she thought Gippal was her hero for returning with her toy. He had gotten a black eye for his efforts, but he smiled and handed it back like it was some kind of treasure. Which it was, to her anyway. She had hugged her plushie and then fussed over his black eye until he let her use a potion on him.

"I'll make you another cake. A really big one."

"You don't have to. But I won't object if you insist. I'll hoard all of it to myself. Just not anything too sweet. No chocolate fudge with sprinkles or anything."

"Aww! That's the best kind! Meanie…I like making chocolate cake. And eating it when I'm done."

Gippal laughed softly at her, sliding further down the pillow his head was on. He really was tired, but he would not sleep until Rikku did. That might be a while, considering that she showed no signs of falling asleep. He had gone without sleep before, he could do it again.

"You sleepy, Gippal?"

"Yeah, a little. You?"

"Yeah." There was a small pause before she spoke again. "Thanks for staying up with me." Rikku's voice was soft and sleepy sounding.

"Anything for you."

"Go to sleep, Gippal."

"Hmmm…not much choice in that…"

Rikku shifted her position slightly, trying not to disturb her kitten or Gippal. She felt her body fall into that place between sleep and awake, her mind quickly following suit. Gippal was already asleep, breathing deeply and evenly. His breath lulled her into dream land.

It was mid-afternoon when Rikku woke up. Gippal was already up, but he had not moved at all. The smell of food had awakened her stomach, which in turn woke her mind up. Both were conspiring against her body's need for sleep. The need for food won. She got up and blinked sleepily at her room. After shaking her head, to clear the sleep out of it, she made her way into the bathroom for a shower.

There is nothing quite like a hot shower in the morning; or whenever one happens to wake up. One could either stay awake and go about the day, or go right back to sleep. It all depended on whether one likes to sleep with damp hair. Rikku could easily do that, but her stomach was complaining bitterly, so she would have to stay awake. At least for the rest of the daylight hours.

Rikku stayed in the shower longer than she usually did. It felt like she was washing away all the recent bad memories she had made. Well, more like pushed them away, so that they were not so immediate in her mind. It was a wonderful feeling. Maybe she could sleep without any nightmares tonight. That would be incredible. Poor Gippal would get a night of uninterrupted sleep too. He never complained about being woken up, or sometimes kicked awake while she was still asleep.

Reluctantly, Rikku turned off the water and emerged from the shower, grabbing a towel. Her eyes strayed to the shiney ring that sat on the counter a safe distance from the sink. She smiled happily and bounced over to put it back on her finger. It was enough to keep her mind cheerfully occupied instead of sadly occupied.

Upon opening the bathroom door, Rikku found Gippal still lying in bed, staring at the ceiling. She smiled and decided to bounce her way over to him. She was only clad in a towel, and her hair was a wet mess. It fell in ungraceful tendrils all about her face and on her shoulders.

"You look adorable like that, honey-lips."

"Aww. What a nice thing to say."

Gippal sat up and tried to make his own way to a shower; but Rikku got in his way. She pushed him back onto the bed and snuggled next to him.

"Let's stay here all day. Make Elizza bring us yummy food and lay in bed all day."

"You've been lying in bed for too long as it is. You need fresh air and sunshine and to spend time with me. We can go shopping again, if you promise to be good."

"Oooo…shopping! Sounds fun. We can bring Lulu and Vidina and Wakka, he can help you carry all our bags. Or do you want it to be just us?"

"They can come. I was hoping you would suggest that. You bought way too much last time. At least the load can be shared."

Rikku giggled. "Too bad Lulu likes to shop almost as much as me! And think of all the fun things we could get for Vidina. This'll be so much fun!"

"Why do I get the feeling I'm going to regret this?" he said, finally making his way to the bathroom. Rikku's laughter followed after him.

The decadent smell of Elizza-food, mingled with Lulu-food, wafted up the stairs and into the room she shared with Gippal. It maded her mouth water just imagining what it would taste like. She was really starting to get grumpy. After all, the last time she ate was last night. That was entirely too long in Rikku's mind to go without food. She did not yell for Gippal to hurry up though. That would not be nice.

She did not wait much longer, because Gippal came out and quickly got dressed. Normally, she did not want him to be fully clothed when they were alone together. However, the times called for drastic measures and Rikku did not even make a remark about how much she liked his abs. (They really were drool-worthy.)

"Come on, please? I'm hungry!"

"Geez, impatient are we? You don't have to wait for me you know."

"Yes I do. You didn't have to stay awake with me last night and you didn't have to sleep here with me and put up with all my odd sleep talking and stuff."

Gippal walked over and hugged her tightly, planting a kiss on her lips and forehead. Rikku surrendered to his embrace, if only for a moment. She was starving. Fortunately, he knew this and led the way down the stairs. Rikku started going down them faster than Gippal. An impromptu race insued, resulting in Rikku bursting into the kitchen followed closely by Gippal and slidding to a stop at the table.

"Ha! I won!" Rikku did a little victory dance, making the other occupants of the kitchen laugh out loud. Gippal was smiling instead of laughing, but she knew he found her antics amusing.

"What do you get as a prize, dear?" Elizza asked from the stove.

"Um…pink bunny slippers! So I can sneak about on important missions for mid-night snacks without waking anyone up."

Gippal collapsed in a chair, laughing without restraint. She had been hoping for that reaction. He needed to laugh and have a little fun just as much as she did. He eventually collected his self control only to loose it when he saw Lulu and Elizza staring at him quizzically. Rikku patted the top of his head gently, messing up his hair slightly.

"Shoud I ask what is so funny?" Lulu said.

"Probably not. You never know what's going through his mind." she said in answer to Lulu's question. Rikku changed the subject, to give Gippal a chance to recover. "You don't happen to have anything for a poor waif like me to eat, do you?" Rikku used her most pathetic voice and looked down while shuffling her feet.

"Of course, dear. What would you like?" Elizza asked.

"Anything. I'm starved! And I'll eat some of whatever you're cooking when you're done, too."

So Rikku was seated at the table, gobbling down a sandwich almost too large for her mouth to bite into. Elizza had supplied Gippal with a similar sandwich. He was hungry too, it seemed. The yummy food being prepared made her hungrier. The sandwich was only a temporary solution.

"Hey Lulu! You want to go shopping with me? I've discovered a whole street full of great shops. I didn't get to explore all of them, though." Rikku gave Gippal a falsely wicked stare.

"Why not? I've never known you to stop in the middle of a shopping spree before."

"Because she bought half of the merchandise in just one of the shops, that's why." Gippal broke in before Rikku could answer.

"I believe you bought it. I TRIED to buy it, but no, you had to go and pay for it."

"It got you out of there, didn't it? I don't know how you expected me to be able to carry all that and trudge after you while you went into yet another store to get yet more bags for me to carry."

"I told you I'd carry some. You refused, so it's your fault."

"And I told you that it's against the rules for you to carry them."

"He's right, ya?" Wakka said, entering the kitchen with Vidina. "Rule number forty-three in the Big Book of Rules Men Live By."

"Is that book actually in existence? Or are you two playing around with us?" Rikku asked, giving both men suspicious looks.

"It's real, baby. Just not in print." Gippal said, enjoying the moment. He could not get one up on Rikku very often anymore.

"It's all in the head, ain't that right, Gippal?"

"Yep."

"Whatever." Rikku dismissed the Big Book of Rules and latched back onto thoughts about shopping. "So…you wanna come shopping Lulu? There's this neat shop with all kinds of baby stuff. Toys and clothes and more toys. It'll be fun! Please?" She looked hopefully at the older woman, begging with her eyes for her to agree.

"Alright. But we can't stay late. Wakka and Vidina will miss their bedtime." This caused Rikku to giggle and Wakka to protest rather loudly.

Elizza cut in before Wakka could get too heated up. "Why not go on ahead? I can watch dinner while you're gone."

"Are you sure, Elizza? I helped make this too."

"Of course, dear. You go on and enjoy your stay in Luca. I'll make sure dinner's ready when you get back. Do have a good time."

With that, the group left the Sun Rose and made their way to the Siren's Street, as Rikku privately called it. All these shops and only so much time and gil to spend. It was maddening.

"See, Lulu? There's that shop I was telling you about! Let's go in."

Rikku and Lulu entered, with Lulu carrying Vidina. They left the boys in their wake, seeing as they were walking too slowly to keep up.

"You do realize what you've done, ya?"

"Anything to make her forget for a while, Wakka. Just hope we can keep Rikku out of _that_ store." Gippal said, pointing at a shop across the street with clothing in the windows.

"Then we better keep Lu outta there too."

The rest of the afternoon was spent shopping in all the various stores on Siren's Street. The others had adopted Rikku's name for it. They were making their way back to the Sun Rose, all but Lulu carrying bags. She had Vidina to hold, after all. Rikku had weasled Gippal into giving her some bags so that she could help carry her new belongings.

Raas met them at the front door, carrying supplies to fix the window. They greeted each other merrily and went inside. Elizza, of course, had everything ready for them. Everyone wondered how she did it, but no one bothered to ask. Thoughts of the food sitting on the table filling their stomachs overrode all other thoughts.

Dinner was eaten in a timely fashion and the baby put to bed. Rikku helped Gippal lug her bags into their rooms. She liked calling it 'their' room. It gave her a sense of security and of belonging to something other than herself. She had always been independent, but secretly craved having someone to share her life with. Now she had what she wanted, despite the obsitcals placed in her path, namely her father and Mr. Helpful.

"Hey Gippal…" Rikku said, pulling out her new clothing and sorting it to be washed. She knew how to do laundry, but Elizza insisted on doing hers. At least the nice things. He turned around, a smile playing on his face when he saw the dress she was looking at. He had picked it out for her to try on. It turned out that Gippal had great taste in imagining what would look good on her. Not that he wanted her fully clothed anymore than she wanted him to be. "What was that thing that came out of his body?"

Gippal's smile faded and he sighed, sitting down on the bed. She did not want to remind him of the previous night's events, but she wanted to know.

"That's the thing. The Impish looking evil thing, isn't supposed to exist anymore. At least that's what Lulu said. They were supposedly exterminated a long time ago, before even Zanarkand was built, by some ridiculously powerful mage. They can only obtain their true power by working through a host and getting enough blood spilled in their name. Then they could be free of the host and run amuck in society. I guess they were all called 'Mardoc'. It just told the clerk that it was a god and to do what it said or else."

"Weird. Anything else?"

"Not really. Unless you want to go bother Lulu to get all the boring details she kept spitting out to Raas and the others."

"Hmmm…" Rikku continued taking clothes out of bags. "So the world has been ridden of evil once more, huh?" she said with a small grin. Disturbing thoughts were running throught her mind, so a small one was all she could muster.

"I guess so." Gippal was clearly unhappy about the whole incident. "How can you take this so well? I mean, any normal person would be horribly traumatized by what you've been through."

"It's in the past. No point in crying over what has happened when you can do something to make things better. Sure it bothers me, but life's too short to dwell on all the bad stuff." Now a real smile appeared, and she turned it's brilliance onto Gippal. "Besides, you said that you were going to buy me a house. And that you want to marry me. I have all kinds of wonderful things to look forward to."

He laughed, and pulled her over to him by the hand. Instead of kisses, she found herself being tickled to within an inch of her life. She could barely fight back. Not that she wanted to. She was right where she wanted to be.

**Man, writer's block sucks. Have I mentioned that? Anyway, there will probably only be one more chapter. Two maybe. Or I could pick up the story some other time, but that may take a while since I have soooooooooooo many other story lines in my poor head. Sometimes I wonder how I have room for a brain, what with all these daydreams I have. **

**R&R please!!!!!!! I would greatly appreciate it if you would! **

**tagg**


	21. Hunting for Paradise

_**Ok again, sea monkeys. I was not very happy about how this turned out. So I kind of tweaked it a bit. Nothing too big. I'm going to do that to some other chapters too. **_

**_Oh, Ikon? Grammer has never been my strong suit, so please feel free to pick apart anything that I write. Believe it or not, my grammer has improved exponentially from what it once was. Thank you, Mrs. Ellis, for teaching me what little my poor brain could hold onto! Ikon would never have been able to get through anything of mine without your wisdom. _:)**

**Ok sea monkeys. Here we are, born to be kings… no that's theme music to Highlander. Bad tagg. **

**And to Rikku Swirls: yes, food is a very important part of the story. Thank you for noticing. gives a cookie **

**Let's see if Rikku gets her house….**

**I don't' own FFX-2, but if I did I would make all the world's population cookies. I love to bake, can you tell?**

Chapter 19: Hunting for Paradise

Rikku and _So Muja_ had been traveling all over Spira. They were traveling with Gippal, since his work demanded his presense at certain places. Actually, things could have gone great with out him there. His workers just seemed to think that he was the only thing that could get a certain job done in the right amount of time and in the right way. It seriously bothered Rikku that he worked himself into exhaustion because they 'needed' him in all these places. Several times she had to drag him away from what ever project he was working on. Literally, drag him; once Gippal started something, he wanted to finish it. There in lies the problem. _He_ wanted to finish it, even though someone else could do it.

So it was just as well that she was with him. She made him eat and sleep and rest instead of working, working and more working. Gippal had promised her that if she ever found a house she actually liked, he would stay put and 'commute' with a comm sphere. He knew he could do it that way; he just liked to be hands on with his work.

Rikku much preferred his hands on _her._ She already had him agreeing with that sentiment, as anyone who ever tried to bother Gippal about work after she had dragged him away to bed. She had even gone so far as to pull a gun on one man that just _had_ to interrupt a rather intense love-making session. She would never have actually shot the man, but no one dared to bother them after that. No one bothered them in the mornings either, though it was not because she pulled out a weapon. Gippal was notoriously grumpy when he woke up. He would never grump at Rikku, but anyone else was fair game. Especially if he was disturbed from a sound sleep, which he got now that Rikku was snuggled next to him at night. Having an angry Gippal threaten you with being hung from your feet on one of the lightning towers in the Thunder Plains is not what you want first thing in the morning.

So they had traveled all over, and Rikku could not find a house that said 'home' to her. _So Muja_ disdained most the the places they went to look at. She would take one look and turn her tiny nose into the air. The cat would live in a tent and travel everywhere with Rikku, but never liked any place that could be a permanent home. Rikku really did try to like some of the places. They were beautiful, but something kept telling her 'no' about all of them. She had no love for Bevelle, so that place was out right off the bat. Besaid was just too far from where she wanted to be. Having beach front property is great, but not for her. Kilika did not have the life that she craved within its wooden piers and houses. The only place she really liked was Luca.

Gippal had been patient, letting her drag him about to look with her. He was not too fond of any houses they had seen either. Rikku suggested going back to Luca. This surprised Gippal, but by now he was used to the resiliency of her soul. Nothing could keep Rikku down for very long. Not even psychotic-Mardoc-possessed-desk-clerks could get her down. In fact, he found that nothing of consequence bothered Rikku. Inconsequencial things now, that is another thing entirely. For example, one could trip and fall over her, causing multiple bruises to her small frame, and she would laugh it off. Drag you feet across a rug and crate a few mountains and valleys, the world came to an end. Rikku got upset with Yuna for doing that. Rikku never got upset with Yuna over anything. Gippal made a mental note not to put too many rugs on the floors of her house. He would have a constant headache from being smacked all the time.

They were ambling down the streets of Luca, Rikku holding her kitten in one hand and Gippal's hand in the other. He, of course, was carrying her bag along with his own in accordance with rule number forty-three. They were headed to the Sun Rose. There really was no place like it in all of Spira. Such a shame it was not for sale.

Lack of a wonderful house was getting Rikku a bit miffed. She really did love Luca though. If only there was a house here that she liked. Rather, a house here that she liked that was for sale. Even in one of the new sections of the city that were being carved out of the wilderness next to the Highroad. They were pretty enough, with lawns (a new idea to Lucan natives) and gardens. There was a small problem with fiends, but there were regular patrols by guards to anhiliate them. The only problem for Rikku was that she did not want the possibility of having to fight fiends before she got to play in her garden or lie in the sun on the grass.

Elizza greeted them estatically when they arrived at the inn. Both of them were enveloped in hugs and ushered inside. The smell of a pie baking permeated the air. Gippal took their bags up to their room while Rikku went to investigate the pie.

_So Muja_ was happily bounding about the kitchen, rejoicing at being back in the Sun Rose. Rikku was munching on an apple, watching the little cat play. She and Elizza were chatting about this and that; catching up with the recent developments in each other's lives. For some reason Elizza was talking about one of the older residents of the city that had passed away. The woman had owned a substantial townhouse but had never kept it in good repair. She had not lived inside it for many years. The outside was fine, but the inside had not been touched in years and was in dire need of renovation. The structure was sound, only it needed to be gutted to add in some modern amenities. Now that she was gone, the city had put it up for sale.

"It was such a pretty place. Old Reemil used to let us have cookies and milk in her kitchen. Such a shame it's going to go to waste."

"Where is it, Elizza?" Rikku piped up.

"Only three streets down from here on the left. You can't miss it, it has some lovely bay windows in the front."

"Come on! Let's go look!" Rikku jumped up from her chair, and promptly choked on a bite of apple. After recovering, she grabbed Gippal's arm and started to pull him out the door. Having arrived in the kitchen expecting to be fed, he was not happy to be dragged outside again on an empty stomach.

"Hey! Maybe I'm hungry. I like to eat too, you know."

"We can eat later!" She rounded on him, pulling out her best pout. "Can't we just look, really fast? Please?"

"Fine. A quick look. I'm starving, and why you're not I'll never know. You get to eat whenever you want to, but I get to eat only when the chance is given to me."

"If you're going to be a grump about it, then I'll go with _So Muja_. Come on kitty! We're going to leave the Grump here so that he can by grumpy by himself while we go look at that townhouse."

"Like hell you're going alone into some old abandoned house. Can't I at least get a sandwich or something?"

Elizza solved the agrument by handing them each a huge sandwich to eat on the go. _So Muja_ elected to go with them and rode on Rikku's shoulder. Rikku took special care not to jar her pet from her perch. Eating and walking was not an easy thing to do with a cat on ones shoulder. It was nearly as difficult as soggy-cookie eating. Just as the last bite was taken, they found the townhouse.

"Look at those windows! Oh, let's go inside!"

She was already running to the building, looking to see if there was a legal way inside. She could have just picked the lock, but it went against the 'I'm a good, law abiding citizen' thing. Fortunately there was a realestate man inside, taking notes and other such nonsense. He graciously let them inside to look around.

The windows really were spectacular. What was once a living room had huge windows that were large enough to walk through. Bay widows sat atop these, decrepit draperies hanging from what was left of curtain rods. The walls were discolored and some of the paint was peeling from certain places. It looked like a bad case of sunburn. Some of the walls appeared to be disembowled, their insides ripped out and the guts spilling onto the floor. Dust motes were dancing in the sunlight that leaked in through the windows despite the aging curtains. Most other townhouses were half the size of this one. Old places like these were rare and feverishly sought after.

Hardwood floors and rich wood paneling added a sort of warmth beneath the think layer of dust. Sliding doors sat half open, revealing more rooms and a stair case made its way up to the next floor from the foyer. A kitchen the size of the one in the Sun Rose made Rikku squeal in delight. She and the cat had already made a round of the ground floor and were exploring the upper levels now.

Gippal looked down at the dusty floor and found that Rikku prints and _So Muja_ prints were all over the place, doubling back and meandering everywhere. Rikku never dragged her feet or scuffed her shoes, it seemed. It was no wonder she got upset about a messed up rug. The paw prints were as dainty as paw prints could be. The kitten did not like to get her lovely coat dirty. For some reason, this was amusing to Gippal. His amusment was interrupted by Rikku bounding down the stairs with_ So Muja _in tow.

"The attic is a greenhouse! And there are four bedrooms and all of them have huge windows like downstairs, and the master bedroom! It's gigantic! With a garden tub and …oh I love this place. Can we get it? Please?" Rikku gave him the puppy-dog eyes. He could not resist those. She knew that he could not resist them. Even _So Muja _was looking at him expectantly, only with kitten eyes instead of puddy-dog ones.

"You sure? It'll take a while to fix this place up. There's all the electrical wiring, got to tear down some chunks of wall for that. I don't think this place'll mind much. Heating and air conditioning ducts (let us pretend that these are new things that have just begun to be applied within the realm of Spira.), that'll take out some of the ceiling, th-"

"I don't care! I'll do it all if I have to."

"Hell yeah I like it. I'm just warning you that it won't be instant gratification. You'll have to _wait_. You do know what waiting is, don't you, Cid's girl?"

"I can wait. I waited to get you. I can wait. Please?"

"It's yours, honey-lips." Gippal received an estatic kiss and then found Rikku had bounced away to look around some more. He rubbed the back of his head, staring after her. An old house that was going to take months to fix up just made her day. Not to mention it was going to cost him a fortune to get it habitable again. He could not complain too much about spending money. Rikku never asked him for anything but his company. That was odd considering how he generally went out of his way to annoy the ever living hell out of her.

With a sigh, Gippal went in search of the realestate man to make sure Rikku got her house.

**Sooo…I'm unable to make a jump into the next chapter at this time, so it may take a while to find an update. This one took long enough to make. My muse went into overtime today and filled my head with all kinds of lovely and interesting things to write about. So it may not be that long of a wait for an update, but my cookies demand my attention for the next few days. **

**Anywho, give a review and get one of my famous cookies! sets plate out that has all manner of yummy-ness on it **

**Thank you bunches for reading! **

**tagg**


	22. Of Spider Guts and Goo

**Ok sea monkeys! Here at long last! A new car! . …. . A new chapter! Hehe. Let's see if things go as you think they will…loo…**

**Nothing is mine but my genious. All things else are of Square Enix.**

Chapter 20: Of Spider Guts and Goo

**BANG!**

**CRASH**

**click-click…bangbangbangbang**

Gippal was running flat out up the stairs of the townhouse he and Rikku were now renovating. The banging and crashing was coming from the master bedroom. Where Rikku was at.

Turning a corner at the top of the stairs (and almost sliding into a near by door) Gippal found Rikku standing in front of a closet, a gun in hand, aimed at said closet.

"WHAT'S GOING ON?"

Rikku didn't even spare him a glance. She kept her eyes and gun trained on the closet door, searching for movement.

"There's a spider in the closet."

Gippal stood there, panting from his dash up the stairs, in complete disbelief.

"You shot at a spider."

"Yes."

"WHY would you use a gun? Why not a shoe or a golf club or something!"

"It looked at me funny. That's why. And its BIG!"

"Damn it Rikku! it's a SPIDER. You don't use guns to kill spiders!"

"Well, this one you do!"

Gippal counted to ten very slowly while rubbing his forehead. He then walked over to the closet..

"Don't open it, Gippal!"

"I'm not scared of a little spider, Rikku. You shouldn't be either. Now put that gun away before you damage the house any more."

"I'm not afraid of little spiders! I'm afraid of BIG spiders!" Rikku gave him a quick, scathing look. "And this one is HUMUNGO- BIG!"

Growling under his breath, Gippal turned the handle of the closet door. There was nothing inside it, really. A few discarded boxes from the previous owners, an article of clothing that looked ready to fall apart with the slightest breeze. Dust covered the floor. It was removed in places, making a strange pattern.

Gippal followed the pattern with his eyes, tracing it into the depths of the closet. Upon peering closer, he saw a slight movement, and the glitter of many eyes staring back at him. Just as he saw it, the thing moved. Not only did it move, it moved fast and forcefully. It leapt out of the dark corner it had been occupying and straight onto Gippal's chest.

The force of it, coupled with surprise, knocked him to the floor. He could only gape at the gigantic spider sitting on his chest. It had to be the size of _So Muja._ All eight eyes glittered malevelantely at him, while the fangs started to drip venom. Just before it decided to impale him with those fangs, Rikku's gun went off, knocking the thing off of his chest.

Unfortunately, it also got spider guts all over Gippal's face and chest. It was splattered on the wall and floor as well.

"I TOLD you it was big!" Rikku made a face at him, half triumphant and half annoyed. "But did you listen to me? NOOOOO!"

Now recovered from the Spider Shock of the Century, Gippal stood up. He wiped most of the spider guts from his face before facing Rikku.

"I'll never doubt you again."

"Is that sarcasm I hear? You ingrate! I just kept you from being bitten by Spira's biggest house spider and you repay me with SARCASM!"

"Fine. Want a hug?"

"EW! NO WAY!"

"Awwww…come on, Rikku! Give your lover a great big hug!"

He stepped forward, as if to embrace her, but Rikku nimbly jumped away, avoiding him.

"You stay away! You're all yucky!"

Thus began the great chase around the house. Gippal deliberately missed catching Rikku while she did her utmost to avoid capture. It wound throughout the building, going into rooms on both upper levels and included Rikku sliding down the banister from the second floor and landing unceremoniously on her rump in front of the door.

Gippal was making ready to pounce on her from the stairs when the front door opened to reveal Raas.

"Am I interrupting something?"

"NONONONO! Gippal was just being a meaniepants!"

"I see."

Rikku clambored to her feet, and made the mistake of turning her back on Gippal. She thought that he would behave with Raas there. She found out just how wrong that idea was when Gippal's arms wrapped around her from behind and felt the slimy, gooey mess on his chest squish against her back.

A look of pure horror appeared on Rikku's face. She tried to wriggle free from his grasp, but that only made the sticky situation worse. She began squealing in disgust as the mess soaked through her shirt and onto her skin.

"EWyousuckgrossgunnamakeyoupayseeifyouevergetlaidagainOMGGROSS!"

"THAT, my heart, is for scaring the beejeesus out of me."

"GET OFF ME YOU JERK!"

Gippal released her, making sure that he was well out of kicking range before she turned around. He grinned at the smouldering look she gave him, which further enraged her. She stood there huffing and glaring at him. Finally she got her voice to work.

"You are SO not sleeping in the same bed as me tonight, buster!"

"We'll see about that."

_So Muja _had come up to sit next to Rass' feet when he had opened the door. She had appeared with the feline grace no other creature could reproduce. Raas looked down at her, and they shared an amused look at the two people standing before them.

"Are you kids done playing? I have those supplies you ordered." Raas said into the brief silence.

"I'm done. Not too sure about Rikku here."

"HEY! You big meanie! YOU'RE the one who had to hug me! AND you didn't listen to me about that spider!"

Gippal held his hands up in defeat.

"OK. OK. Fine. But you're the one who shot the damn thing, so you're the one to clean it up." He turned to Raas, ignoring Rikku's protests and asertations of being an ingrate. "Let's get that stuff inside."

"Do I want to know what's on your clothes?"

"Spider guts." Raas gave him a skeptical look. "Really. There was a huge spider up there and Rikku decided to shoot it so I got splayed with spider guts."

"Huh. You don't say."

"I do say. Let's just hope she doesn't really kick me out of bed for hugging her."

Most of the repair work had already been done on the town house. New plumming, air ducts and electricity had been installed in all the rooms. The kitchen had been completely renovated. Every last fixture had been removed and replaced with new ones, along with new appliances. It was the only room that was on the ground floor which was ready for habitation.

Rikku had begun the tedious task of cleaning up all the dust and debris. The top floor greenhouse was the easiest to clean up. All of the dead plants and rotting furniture were just chucked into dumpsters outside. The hard part was cleaning up all of the dust.

While just hosing down the place with a few water spells was tempting, it would also ruin the building. So the good old bucket and sponge were employed. No sense dusting anything. It would only float about and choke everyone inside.

Now, wiping down a ceiling is not an easy thing to do. Neither are high walls. So Rikku used a paint roller with water instead of paint to clean the out of reach spots. Mops were relied on for the floors and all of the intricate detailing was cleaned with brushes.

Everything had to be scrubbed to within an inch of its existence. Cleanliness resounded on the top floor greenhouse. The second floor was another story. All of the carpets had been taken up and replaced. New tiles adorned the foyer. The hardwood floors had been refinished, and the musty-dusty smell had been replaced with the smell of freshly cut wood and varnish.

Some of the neighbors were looking at the old townhouse in wonder. The outside was being transformed along with the inside. New frames for the windows and doors were installed. The walls were cleaned and restored. What little space that was beyond the front stoop was being turned into a home for various plants.

The fact that random objects were being thrown out of a window by a small Al Bhed woman had a bit to do with the neighbor's facination.

Rikku could not have been happier. She had her home. A REAL home, not a place to live. She had her cat. She had her lover. What else did she really need?

_What else indeed…oooooooooooooo I'm EVIL! MWAHAHAHAHA!_

**Ok, yeah, kinda lame, but I'm working on Rikku's deviltry. It'll be fun fun fun! **

**HIT THE LITTLE 'GO' BUTTON AND REVIEW PLEASE!**


	23. Twentysomething: Waltz de Chocobo

_I don't own FFX-2 or any of its characters. They belong to Square Enix. _

_Kind of short, but it fit the bill I was trying to make, so that is that. hehe. Hope you enjoy reading it! _

_ And thanks to all you reviewer type people out there in FFNland!_

_Chapter Twenty-something: Waltz de Chocobo _

"Now where did she get to?"

Gippal hadn't seen Rikku in over an hour, and that meant Trouble. Not just 'trouble', but trouble with a capital 'T' Trouble. Mischief was Rikku's middle name, no matter what she claimed it to be. She had not left the house. He had been working on the foyer and the front door never opened. So that meant Rikku was in the house, not making any noise, and it made him nervous.

True, he loved Rikku, but she was not the kind of person one want doing anything that one did not know about. She could easily get hurt or hurt something or someone else. Little children are never left unsupervised in the kitchen while the stove is in use, and you never let Rikku be unsupervised around anything that is shiny or mechanical. She just can not resist them. She can not resist pie for that matter, and it was more serious to lose a machina to Rikku than to lose a pie. She might share the pie, but not the machina.

"I need a break anyway…"

Gippal stood up, stretched and set off on the quest to find Rikku. Last time she had been alone, she started shooting at a giant spider. He first went to the attic, where the spider attack had occurred.

No Rikku.

He went to the kitchen. No Rikku.

He went to the bedroom. No Rikku.

He finally went to what had been converted into a study-office, and found the door ajar and heard Rikku's voice from inside. He hadn't caught what she had just said, but her voice was giddy, and that meant even more Trouble.

"Thanks a heap, Clasko! I'll totally owe you one for this. Just send me the specifics on what I need, and I'll get right on it!"

"Well, you'll need a lot of room, and definitely a lot of food, but the thing you need most is a lot of love and affection."

"Oh I have plenty of that! Thanks again! I have to go and finish things up for the arrival."

"No problem. Take care."

"You too!"

Rikku turned off the commsphere and promptly started giggling to herself. She was trying to keep it quiet, so that no one, not even him, would hear it. All this meant that she was hiding something. What Something was, Gippal could not guess. _An arrival? She's not pregnant. I know that for a fact. So what arrival is she talking about? _

He made sure to creep away softly from the door, so that she would hear his foot steps as though he had just started walking down the hall towards the study/office. Just as he suspected she would, Rikku leap out of the room and into his arms, nearly knocking him down. His thoughts about her secret call evaporated like smoke. He'd find out sooner or later. He just hoped it would not involve more spiders. Or pudding. He hated pudding.

One Week Later…

Gippal was walking home from the market, bags in hand, when he saw the Celsius fly overhead, Brother screaming 'WHIPPEEEEEEEEEEEE!' on the microphone. He shook his head, still trying to understand why Brother was not criminally insane by anyone else's standards other than his own. Did the world really need that lunatic flying around like that?

"Oh well. I'll be home soon. And with all the stuff Rikku asked for. Though why she wants curry powder and rose hips is beyond me…"

He turned a corner and the house he and Rikku now lived in came into view. It really was splendid. The outside was still getting fixed up, but other than that it happily kept its place, almost smirking at its neighbors. It was not as tall as the newer houses next to it, being much older, but it was a great place.

He stopped for a moment, and tried to figure out why something looked out of place today. It was not anything to do with the outer appearance of it, more like a detail that was not noticed until one **saw** it. As he looked the building up and down, he realized what it was.

The house was **taller**. There was another structure on top of the roof, right after the glass panes of the greenhouse stopped. It was bright red, with white trimming and what looked like an animal painted on the side of it. He could not tell what it was from his current angle, but he got a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

In a matter of moments, he had the groceries put away, and was taking the steps up to the roof top three at a time. Gippal went through the now slightly green greenhouse, thanks to Rikku's efforts, and up the small flight of stairs to the roof.

The new building, which must be the 'arrival' Rikku was talking about with the weird guy from the Calm Lands, stood in horrific glory, shining red and gleaming white. The animal on the side of it was also on the front, split in half by the double doors, was a chocobo.

"_Kweeeeh!"_

"Oh gods tell me she didn't…"

"_Kweeh! Kewh! Kweeeeeeen!"_

"She did…RIKKU!"

The woman he loved more than his own life poked her head out from the doors and looked around for the person calling her. Her face lit up when she saw Gippal standing there, in fury, glaring at her with his one good eye. She practically bounced out of the building and bounced up to him.

"Oh I'm glad your home! I have a surprise!"

"What in the name of the gods are you doing with a chocobo up here! And why is there a…a… a **stable** on the roof?"

"I got a chocobo! Didn't you hear it? And I **had** to put the stable on the roof! It wouldn't fit in the tiny piece of yard out front. Besides, all the people walking by would scare poor Kwennie into molting!"

Gippal could only stare at her.

She had put a stable on the roof. With a chococo in it.

_That's what the Celsius was doing here! It was bringing these damn things here!_

"Gippal are you listening to me! I've been asking you if you wanted to come and meet Kwennie! Or are you so mean that you don't want to meet my cute, soft, cuddly chocobo?"

"Rikku…wha…why did you do this?"

"Caaaaaaause I wanted a chocobo of my very own. I've always wanted one. You know that. Now I have this great big house, and I can finally have my childhood dream of riding a chocobo across the rooftops come true! You can ride her too! I've made capes for us to wear and everything!"

"_Kewh?"_

"Oh! Coming Kwennie!"

Rikku ran back inside the stable, and began making all kinds of soothing noises, mixed up with some cooing and baby talk. It was more than he could stand. He went up to the doors and slammed them open, ready to frighten off both chocobo and his bride to be.

Inside, he did not find what he expected.

Rikku was there, but so was someone else. _The weird guy from the Calm Lands. The chocobo guy. _He had his hands to his mouth, and had just started to exhale when the doors almost broke off their hinges. The sound that came out was more like a frightened duck than a chocobo. There was one other thing wrong with the picture.

There was no chocobo. There were no stalls or mangers either. The walls looked as though they had hinges in the corners, like they could fold in on themselves. The roof was held up with ropes and poles. None of which did Rikku any good, considering she was rolling around on the floor laughing. Clasko was white with fear, and shaking slightly. His hands were still in front of his face, but Gippal thought it likely his bottom lip was quivering.

"Gippal…" Rikku wheezed. "Did you …really…think I would…put a stable…oh hahahah…on the roof? Hehehahahahheeeeeeee!"

She looked at his face, and fell into helpless mirth again, unable to even breathe. Tears streamed down her face, which did not mess up her mascara somehow. He turned his gaze back to Clasko, and barked "OUT! NOW!" The man was scrambling out of the stable faster than he thought anyone could move. He turned back to Rikku, who was still laughing at him.

"Alright **_honey_**. You are SO going to pay for this!"


	24. The Good Toilet Seat

**So, we meet again for the first time, for the last time. Before I kill you, there is something you should know. I am your mother's brother's Uncles' cousins's bestfriend's former roommate! hehe. I love Spaceballs! Thanks, Angel for the movie! I am lurving it! **

**Well, this is it, folks! the last chapter! I'm proud of it. The ending came to me, like someone had hit me with a ton of bricks. This story has been great fun to write and I'm happy that so many people have enjoyed it! I'm sorry this took so long, but I wanted it to end correctly, not some slop job. I'm re-writing the ending of another story, so look for that in the days to come! **

**Thanks to all of the readers and reviewers! You guys are the best! (give all cookies) **

**So, this is too long of a story to summerize easily, but its Rikku leaving to be herself instead of what people think she is and she ends up with Gippal in Luca and lots of bad things happen and Gippal kills the guy who did the badness and now he and Rikku have a house with a chocobo barn on top of it. If you want a better one, I think it would benefit you to just read it again. I know I did. **

**I don't own FFX-2, or anything else SE oriented. Unless its something I made up. Then that's mine. :) **

It had taken nearly six months to complete the renovations, but they were finally done. New carpets and new hardwood floors were in place, and all of the original wood panels and carved detail had been restored. Dust had been banished from the house, thanks to the efforts of Rikku and Elizza. Gippal and Raas had dealt with the rest. Not that the women had had the easy part. They had been in constant battle with the dust and debris stirred up by the men's actions, which was the reason they started up in the Greenhouse instead of one of the lower floors. They would come down, grey with dust, and glare at the mess made from cutting drywall or destroying walls.

One such wall revealed a set of sliding doors, still in perfect condition under the years of dust and cobwebs. The tracks had needed replacing, but it was a discovery that delighted Rikku to no end. The entire house delighted her. The first thing she decided to do when the house was complete, furniture and decorations included, was to invite their friends over for a celebratory feast.

The kitchen appliances were earning their keep by helping to make some of the most decadent and delicious foods Gippal had ever smelled. Elizza was there with her, helping Rikku cook and bake. They had been at it for hours, shooing him out along with anyone else who tried to enter the kitchen. Not even Yuna was allowed into the kitchen.

"I bought the damn house, and I can't even get into my own kitchen for a sandwich. What the hell is wrong with this scenario?"

"I'd say it's that you're whipped, Gippal." Paine said, interrupting his thoughts. When he gave her a startled look, she chuckled. "You're starting to act like Rikku, saying what you think out loud."

"So? That doesn't change the fact that I get run out of my own kitchen. I'm hungry, damn it! I feed her whenever she gets hungry."

"Gippal, did you ever consider that she's been in there for hours, preparing a meal for all of us, you included, to eat? She wants you to save your appetite for dinner."

"I always have an appetite. And it won't ruin her dinner if I get some **food **in me. Even an apple would work."

Gippal sat down in a chair that was so vastly oversized, it was practically a couch. It was barely big enough to sit two people, and only if they were good friends. This had been the one thing he insisted on purchasing, other than the furnishings of the office upstairs. He had let Rikku do whatever she wanted in all the other rooms. He had been privately scared of moogle motifs and cactuar room themes. It was a pleasant surprise to see the relaxed decor she had chosen. There was nothing in the house that would make anyone afraid to sit back and relax.

"Be careful, Gippal. You're almost pouting. You'll lose respect points if I catch you pouting."

"I'm not pouting. I'm trying not to put a fist through the wall I just got done painting and sp-"

"Hey, Gippal!" Rikku yelled, stepping out of the kitchen briefly. "Think fast!" Rikku threw something at him just as he turned to face her. He caught it just before it hit him in the face. It was an apple. Not a regular red apple, but a gold one. He hated red apples. They tasted like paper with red food dye. A gold apple was a real apple, with a distinct taste like nothing else.

"Score! I knew she loved me!" Gippal took a bite of the apple, and left his chair to open the kitchen door enough to poke his head in and say 'thanks'. It earned him another apple aimed at his head, meant to get him out of the kitchen. Gippal took his prize and returned to his chair, satisfaction beaming from him like the rays of the sun. "How 'bout that? Two for the price of one!"

"Gee, she's my oldest friend here, and **I **don't get an apple." Tidus said glumly. Yuna smiled at him, placing a hand on his arm.

"You get the honor of sitting nearest the food platters. The rest of us have to wait!"

"You gotta point, Yuna. You gotta point."

"That may be, but I sit nearest the pie." Gippal said, smirking for all he was worth.

Paine shook her head both at them as Gippal planted his feet, crossed at the ankles, on the coffee table in front of him and leaned back, taking another bite of his apple. He put the other one down on the arm of the chair. _So Muja _decided to make an entrance at that moment, leaping on to the arm rest of the chair right next to his apple and sitting primly, with her tail covering her paws. The apple never offered to tilt or move from its position. She stared at him in the way only cats can do, then deemed him worthy of her attention and jumped down, settling on his lap.

"You know, cat, you're the only one besides Rikku allowed to share this chair with me." He said, chewing another bite of apple and petting _So Muja _. The kitten 'mew'ed a response.

"Gippal! Get you're dirty boots off that table!"

"Wha?" Paine, Baralai, Tidus and Yuna all laughed at him. "How the hell did you know that? And this table is one of those beat up things you found in a thrift store, why does it matter if I put my feet on it?"

"Cause I don't want any black marks on it from your boots, numbskull!" Rikku yelled through the kitchen door. "And you've been putting your feet on coffee tables ever since I've known you."

Heaving a heavy sigh, Gippal complied.

"See what I have to put up with, cat? You're mistress is so cruel to me." _So Muja _turned her head and blinked at him several times before going back to her lounging. "I can't even get sympathy from a cat. At least I have food, now." He noticed Tidus sigh at this comment, and he made a split second decision. It had to be split second, because if he thought about it, he would never do it. "Hey, here." Gippal tossed his other apple to Tidus, who caught it easily. He liked Tidus, even though he looked exactly like Shuyin. They had a lot in common and had become fast friends.

The first time they met, Gippal had almost pulled a gun on him. What stopped him was Rikku running to give him a hug, which he returned heartily. Yuna had noticed him reaching for a weapon and smiled, shaking her head. Rikku then dragged them into what was now a game room, complete with a blitzball table. Tidus got the same expression on his face when he saw it that Rikku had gotten. The two of them spent the better part of an hour playing while he and Yuna watched them and cheered when one scored a goal. It was more entertaining than watching a real blitz game. He did not see Rikku jumping up and down and performing a victory dance during a real blitz game.

"You're my new best friend, Gippal."

'Mrow?'

_So Muja _had sat up, head and ears turned toward the front door. The lock turned and the opening door revealed Raas, followed by two other people.

"Look who I found at the port, Boss-man." Wakka and Lulu, carrying Vidina, walked in and Raas closed the door behind them.

"Welcome to our humble abode." Gippal said, gesturing around the room with the hand holding his half eaten apple. "He-ey, there, buddy! You must've grown since I last saw you!" He said to Vidina, who started struggling in his mother's arms to get at the cat sitting on his lap. _So Muja _kept her eyes on the baby, ready to jump to safety at a moments notice if he got loose from his mother.

The three newcomers joined the rest of them, Yuna relieving Lulu of Vidina. Most of the people were occupied with the antics of the baby. Paine was the only one not looking at the baby. She would coo over him eventually, but for now she was giving him a curious look.

"I never thought you'd be able to put up with all of Rikku's nonsense. How do you do it?"

"You gotta take her in stride, Dr. P. Half of what she does is to get a laugh out of you or to make sure people she loves are happy. You can't take it seriously."

"Alright you guys! Foods almost done!" A cheer rose from everyone at Rikku's announcement, which startled _So Muja, _making her tail twitch against Gippal's leg. "Oh, and Gippal?"

"Yeah?"

"Make sure you put the good toilet seats in all the bathrooms! I want this dinner to end on as good a note as it began!"

The room fell into laughter, with Baralai blushing slightly and shaking his head, Yuna was convulsing on the floor, and Tidus choking on the bite of apple he was in the middle of swallowing. Wakka was hitting his back trying to help. Even Lulu was laughing. Gippal, meanwhile, kept on eating his apple as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

"I'll get right on that."

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Home was finally done, and Mother and One-Eye were no longer wandering around Outside. _So Muja _liked their new Home. It was different from Kind One's, but this was their Home. She had not liked all the dust here at first, but that was made right by Mother. Lots of humans had come to help with Home, many of them were here in front of her whiskers right now.

She had special cushions in all of her favorite napping spots, and one in front of the second big window, where she could lay in the sun. She had toys and places to scratch and claw to her heart's content. Every room in the house had been investigated and were all to her satisfaction. Her favorite room, besides the one with the big windows, was the Green Place. There were all kinds of plants up there for her to play in and hunt. Mother would hide a furry ball that moved around in there and let her find it. It was such fun.

One-Eye was here to stay, too, which made her and Mother happy. Kind One and her mate came over a lot, too.

Everything was finally right in the world.

**(sniffs) Its sad to think this story is over. But I have so many others! I have some that aren't even posted yet! I'm continuing a series, and making another two or four. I'll be busy in the time to come! Thanks for reading! **

**tagg **


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